The stone door closed behind them with a dull, echoing thud.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Professor Jones lifted the lantern higher, its flickering light revealing a long passage carved deep into the rock beneath the ruins of Bhangarh Fort.
The tunnel stretched forward into darkness.
Cold air drifted through the corridor, carrying a faint metallic smell.
Martin glanced behind them.
"Well," he muttered, "now we're officially trapped underground in a haunted fort."
Inspector Rathore tried to remain calm, though his voice carried tension.
"There must be another exit somewhere."
Jones examined the walls.
"These carvings confirm my suspicion."
Martin leaned closer.
"What do they say?"
"They are written in an ancient Prakrit dialect," Jones said. "Much older than the Rajput kingdom that built the fort above."
Rathore frowned.
"So this tunnel system existed long before the fort?"
"Exactly."
Jones ran his hand along the stone.
"This is the entrance to something far older."
They continued forward.
The corridor soon split into three directions.
A perfect maze.
Martin sighed.
"Great. A labyrinth."
Jones knelt near the ground.
"Look."
Footprints in the dust.
Three sets.
Dr. Mehta and two assistants, most likely.
"They went this way," Jones said, pointing to the left tunnel.
As they walked deeper, the passages grew narrower and more complicated.
Every few minutes another junction appeared.
Twisting corridors.
Hidden chambers.
Dead ends.
The labyrinth beneath the desert seemed endless.
Martin scratched his head.
"If someone built this place, they really didn't want visitors."
Suddenly Rathore stopped.
"Listen."
A faint sound echoed through the tunnels.
Scraping.
Like stone sliding against stone.
Martin whispered,
"That again…"
Jones looked thoughtful.
"No. This time it's closer."
They followed the sound and entered a vast underground hall.
Their lantern revealed a terrifying sight.
Skeletons.
Dozens of them.
Ancient armor still clung to the bones.
Rusted swords lay scattered across the floor.
Martin stared wide-eyed.
"What happened here?"
Jones studied the scene.
"These men were soldiers."
"From when?"
"Judging by their armor… at least two thousand years old."
Rathore pointed toward the far wall.
"There's another doorway."
But before they could move, the ground trembled again.
This time much stronger.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
And somewhere deep in the labyrinth…
A monstrous roar echoed through the stone passages.
Martin froze.
"That… definitely wasn't wind."