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Abby snorts.

ABBY: If all my relationships are lies, at least I’m in on this one.

LIAM: You’re talking about your boss. Dr. Ashford.

ABBY: He always told us that he was hunting the creaturethat killed our parents, but he didn’t know why it came after us. He claimed he had no idea who we were. But that video was from fourteen years ago, so not only was my grandfather—and my father—somehow aware of the supernatural, Ashford knew it. Long before he ever showed up at our house.

LIAM: You’d think between the three of us we could scrape up a functioning parental figure.

ABBY: What about “Shakespeare mum”?

LIAM: Okay, fair point, that’s one. Still a pathetic average.

Liam huffs a bit as they reach the site of the bunker. The door is shut and covered in a mottled layer of rust.

LIAM: And here we are. The forbidden bunker.

ABBY: Does it open?

LIAM: You know, I don’t know. I’ve honestly never been tempted to explore it.

There’s a beat as they stare at each other.

LIAM: Oh, I’m sorry. You want me to go first. I suppose it’s the gentlemanly thing to get eaten first.

ABBY: It’s less about you getting eaten before me, and more that when you get eaten I need to capture it on camera.

LIAM: That’s much better. Very reassuring.

He walks up to the door and hauls on it. The metal squeaks, but there’s no appreciablemovement.

ABBY: Hold on. I’ll help.

She sets the camera down on a rock—it is already mounted on a small tripod—and makessure it’s trained on the door. Together, they strain to pull on the handle, but other than aslightly louder squeal, this produces no result.

LIAM: Ah. Damn. Look, it’s been welded shut. We’ll never get that open.

Abby runs a finger along the welded seam. It’s hardly precision work, but it is thorough.

ABBY: That’s a lot of effort to protect some empty rooms. Considering the only people who come here are, theoretically, trained professionals.

LIAM: Yes, but they’re also field scientists.

ABBY: Which means what?

LIAM: Field scientists are particularly noted for their tendency to do questionable things in pursuit of discovery. The things they will lick in the name of science would astound you.

ABBY: Wait. Hush.

She holds up a finger, tilting her head toward the door in concentration. Liam looks confused but complies. His eyes widen. He presses his ear to the door.

LIAM: It’s coming from in there.

Abby glances around, chewing on her lip.

ABBY: Maybe there’s another way in.

Liam shakes his head.