When I heard tales of the tunnels between the plant and Pripyat, I always wondered where they might be hidden. When Luka told me of the Bowl of Pripyat, my mind had turned to it again, but this time backed by years of experience working at the plant and familiarizing myself with much of its layout. I never had access to all areas, but I knew of only a few places that were likely spots for such a tunnel to exist.

I felt a rumble of nervous fear at the idea of trying to escape and being caught, but it was far outweighed by my terror at what might be happening to Alena every hour I was trapped there. I had found a forgotten letter opener the day before and taken to carrying it in my pocket just in case I needed a makeshift weapon. Tapping my leg to insure it was still there, I crept out into the hall and began making my way down to the lower levels.

I had assumed that I would encounter guards or some kind of resistance on those lower floors, particularly if there were a tunnel that needed to be kept secure. But oddly there were none. Normally this would have cemented my fears that I was on a fool’s errand, but I had been gripped by this strange certainty that the tunnel existed and I was on the path to it.

It was in one of the sub-basements that I found a heavy metal door standing ajar. I saw no one, but there were splashes of fresh blood on the concrete floor nearby, which might have explained the lack of any guards. My breaths came in burning gasps as I approached the door, terrified by what might be waiting for me beyond it. But what choice did I have? I had to at least try.

Pulling the door open further, I saw it led to a well-lit concrete tunnel that moved at a slight downward slope for several hundred feet before its path curved out of view. I saw no signs of guards or the monstrous thing I had encountered in the woods. In fact, other than a few more splatters of blood inside the tunnel itself, it looked relatively benign. Glancing behind me a final time, I stepped into the tunnel and started making my way down.

I walked for ten minutes before the tunnel started to change. I was deeper now, to be sure, but the rock was different here too. Darker and with an oily sheen that I didn’t like. There were still lights strung along as I went, but I found myself trying to avoid looking around any more than I had to. That’s why when I rounded the next corner, I almost ran into another massive steel door.