Burning Beneath

Two days later, they stood at the edge of an abandoned airstrip, the wind cutting through the silence like a whispered warning. The tarmac stretched endlessly into the night, cracked and worn from years of disuse. Above them, the sky was vast and empty, no blinking aircraft lights, no signs of civilization. Just them and the unknown.

Mia shifted on her feet, arms crossed. “This place looks like it hasn’t been used in decades. You sure we’re in the right spot?”

Sam checked the coordinates one last time. “If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be the only ones here.”

Ahead of them, a private jet hummed softly, its engines ready yet oddly muted. No markings. No logos. No pilot in sight. Just a single, open ramp leading inside, as if it had been expecting them.

Mia let out a slow breath. “Okay, so this is officially creepy.”

Sam didn’t respond—her eyes were locked on the others already boarding. They moved with quiet confidence, slipping into the jet like shadows. No unnecessary glances. No idle chatter. These weren’t ordinary travelers.

Sam started forward. Mia grabbed her wrist. “Wait. Once we step on, there’s no turning back.”

Sam met her gaze. “Was there ever?”

Mia groaned, rubbing her temple. “You and your damn existentialism.”

But she followed.

The interior was minimalist, almost clinical—rows of sleek black seats, dimmed lighting, and large tinted windows that revealed nothing of the world outside.

A small group of passengers already sat in eerie silence. Some tapped away at sleek tablets with unreadable data flashing across the screens. Others gazed out the windows, faces unreadable. A man in the corner was twisting a Rubik’s Cube at an unnatural speed, his fingers a blur of motion. He wasn’t solving it for fun—he was breaking some pattern beyond what the human brain should comprehend.

Mia nudged Sam. “Who are these people?”

Before Sam could respond, a voice crackled to life from unseen speakers. It was smooth, controlled, and disturbingly void of emotion.

“Welcome, challengers. This journey is non-refundable. If you wish to turn back, now is your last chance.”

No one moved.

The doors sealed shut with a quiet finality.

The plane lifted off.