"You didn't have to do that." Kaylin kept her voice low as they walked in their pairs down the corridor. Carlos shrugged, his swollen hand firmly wedged in his pocket. "I owe you one." She stayed quiet after that, not wanting to get him into further trouble. The whole group moved in synchronicity, following Mr Gregor down the twisting series of corridors back to the decontamination hall. Despite his impressive girth the man moved with incredible speed, his mass seeming to provide a kind of pendulum momentum which swung himself forward with each step. It all combined together to provide a lurching aspect to his walk. As the front of the group turned round a corner Kaylin cast a glance behind her. Grant was a while back, whispering hurriedly to Stephen, probably planning out some other way to torment her. Further back still stood Raymona, silently, drifting down the corridor alongside another girl Kaylin didn't recognise. The beginnings of a smile flickered across her face for a moment as she caught Kaylin's gaze but it was gone just as soon. Kaylin was unsure of whether she even saw it in the first place.

Back in the decontamination chamber they quickly put their gear back on. Carlos' family were relatively well off, his respirator cared for and showing little signs of damage. Kaylin's was of similar quality but having been passed down through the family it was beginning to show signs of wear. Kaylin also tried to keep track of Raymona, noticing her by her distinct one-filter respirator. She must be from one of the poorer families. There was something about her that both intrigued her and made her worried for her.

Once outside the doors slid shut, gears creaking and grinding. Mr Gregor led them towards the crater, towards the tunnels that made their way down into the crater. The past month or so had all been building up to this moment, every lesson comprised of a different process undergone inside the crater. The meat harvesting at the very core. The extensive mines, tunnels and excavation projects throughout the crater. The assembly, installation and repair of the cloth nets for catching ash. And then the harnessing of the geothermic energy for the mechanical power which fed the whole town, and the presses for the compression of the ash into useful building blocks for everything from large scale constructions to the most simple tools. It all worked together to build a functioning town. Barely.

The ash fell thick and fast as they approached the crater. Areas were marked out with hastily carved warning signs.
"Caution: Ground weak"
"Beware cave-ins"
"Watch your footing"
They drifted between the signs, avoiding the collapsed areas of ground which just dropped off into darkness. Soon they were at the tunnel's entrance, a huge, rocky opening dimly lit. It was fitted with a similar door to the one found on the decontamination hall except this one descended from above and was made of a much denser material. Once inside they began the long, slow descent into the twisting caves. The ceiling of the tunnels were stained black with soot, the constantly streaming smoke leaving its mark.

As they walked Mr Gregor monologued at the front, explaining the intricate and complex history of the mines, their origin and the struggles of meat harvesting before the discovering of the ruins on the far side of the crater. Since then they had managed to break off and sharpen chunks of the strange metal structure there but they had yet to find a way to reshape and repurpose them. The closest they had come to yet was mixing a ground up powder along with the ash during the compression phase to reinforce the material.

A distant roar echoed around the tunnels, a few of the pupils flinching in apprehension. Many people knew of the beast that lurked deep in the crater but few thought about it. Fewer still considered where their food came from, and those who found it unethical tried to survive on a diet of only what they could grow. It was infrequent that they survived long, starving themselves or being badly malnourished. It wasn't as if any of them were getting everything vital from the meat anyway. The respirators usually covered the gauntness in peoples' faces but you could see their eyes sunken in their sockets beneath their goggles. And then there was Mr Gregor, a grotesque, bloated mass. There probably wasn't a single pupil who didn't hate him.

The growls and roars got more frequent as they descended deeper and deeper into the network of tunnels. They passed through rooms with various holes carved in the roof and ground for the transportation of the less fragile materials. All the while the constant grinding and crunching of gears could be heard, transporting materials in and out of the crater. Kaylin lost track of how many times the path forked, each different track seeming to twist round and link again, the ash on the floor scuffed with footsteps.

"How much further do you think it'll be?" Kaylin murmured to Carlos, keeping her voice low. They were safer to talk here, the constant rumbling and roars muffling their voices.
"It can't be too much longer, can it? We've been walking for-"
A huge roar ripped through the tunnel, the air quivering with the force. Even Mr Gregor froze on the spot, hands clenching at his sides.
"Now everyone, we must remain calm." The tunnels shook, the growling growing only louder. Kaylin gripped her head, a sudden pounding headache taking hold of her. The throbbing in her ears seemed to form into words, taunting her, but just as quickly it had passed. Others in the group were clutching their heads, muttering softly under their breaths. A deep chime swam through the tunnels, the distant peal of a bell. It resonated through the walls, seeming to only amplify and get louder until it dropped away to nothing, just a distant droning in their ears.

Stephen suddenly broke file, stumbling backwards up the tunnel.
"Screw this, I'm out. That was the emergency bell, something's gone wrong. No way I'm going anywhere nearer that... thing." He turned and ran, his footfalls disappearing up through the tunnels. A few others ran off after him but the majority stayed. Grant was one of the few that followed him, Kaylin was glad of that. Raymona was one of the ones who had decided to stay and was slowly drifting through the crowd to stand beside her. Kaylin was glad she stayed.

"They'll never find their way back, only I know the way. Stick with me and no harm will come of you." His voice boomed over the confusion and people slowly gathered back into their lines. "It preys on chaos and indecision. Don't let it into your head. It can't harm you-"
A scream sounded from the back of the group. Kaylin turned to see a girl crouching a few feet back up the tunnel, muttering under her breath.
"I don't want to do it, I don't want to do it, I don't want to... I don't want... I don't..." Her voice faltered and trailed off and Kaylin could hear her sobs, muffled by the mask. The convulsions of her sobs wracked her body as she clutched at her head. Mr Gregor made his way to the back of the group, towards the girl, keeping himself between her and the rest of the pupils.

"Take it easy now. Come here or else..." For once Mr Gregor actually looked like he might have been indecisive himself. He was just taking a step before Kaylin heard the distinct "click" as the girl took her respirator off. A few of the group gasped or called out, trying to approach her but Mr Gregor held the group back. His hand hovered over the cane at his belt, the other out as if trying to tame an animal. The girl ripped off her goggles, tears pouring from red rimmed eyes and streaking her pale cheeks. She took a slow, deep breath and everyone froze. She started coughing, he body shaking. When she looked up again her eyes were clouded, smokey. Her mouth contorted into a snarl and she rose, goggles in hand. She opened her mouth, the gaping space slowly seeping smoke, teeth bared. A growl escaped her lips, coming from deep in her throat.

When she ran forward Kaylin barely had time to react before Mr Gregor's wrist flicked up, striking the girl across the jaw. She sprawled to the ground and he struck her again over the head, making sure she stayed down. She lay there for a while, letting out a long, slow breath. The smoke wheezed out of her lungs, coiling out her mouth in thick clouds. She coughed, chunks of ash spilling out her throat.
"This is what happens when you aren't in control of your own mind. We can't let these weak willed individuals corrupt the society that we have spent so many years creating. Those that ran will never see the light of day before it destroys them mentally and physically." He regarded her as a bug he had just stomped out, a vermin or pest that needed eradicating. Kaylin leaned over to whisper to Carlos, noticing Raymona standing not far behind them. She gestured for her to come over then spoke softly, always keeping an eye on Mr Gregor.
"So much for stick with him and no harm will come to us. I don't want to run off and get lost but I definitely don't want to become like that." She wasn't sure if she was referring to the creature the girl had become or Mr Gregor. "Either way we've got to stick with him but the minute we have a way out keep an eye on me and get ready to run."

No sooner that she'd finished saying that the entire tunnel began to shake, rocks and debris detaching from the ceiling to smash against the floor. Mr Gregor put a hand against the wall to support himself, waving for them to follow. He starting making his way up when there was an intense grinding sound and the passageway above him split, spewing forth a slurry of ash, rock and huge mechanical gears and cogs. There was a sickening crunch as Mr Gregor was buried, more rocks being dragged down on top of him every passing second. Kaylin stumbled back in horror before she felt a swollen hand grasp hers and lead her down into the tunnel, the soft footsteps of Raymona following close behind. A few other panicked students trailed after them, others getting swallowed up by the tide of rubble flowing down the tunnel behind them. Kaylin glanced back to see a boy, covered up to his waist in rock, his back bent at an impossible angle. His eyes slowly clouded over with darkness and he was taken over by a frantic fury, clawing at the ground to try and drag himself towards the fleeing pupils.

After running down a twisting series of tunnels the group found themselves resting in what appeared to be some kind of meeting room. Various messages were scrawled on the walls detailing how to arrange the cloth nets for maximum coverage of the crater. The more ash they collected, the less went into the air and the more they had for creation. Also in the room, and much more appreciated, was a collection of chairs which Kaylin found herself dropping into. Carlos sat in the chair beside her and Raymona stood awkwardly behind them. Also in the room were three other individuals. A tall, presumably male figure stood at the entrance, searching for stragglers. Close behind stood a shorter, feminine figure, presumably his girlfriend. At the other end of the room at boy leaned casually against the wall, more out of shock than nonchalance, and began to unwrap his cowl. His hair was thick and coal black, even after he shook a cloud of dust and ash from it.

The six of them were trapped down a deadly maze, and the only person who knew the way out was now trapped beneath a pile of rock. Kaylin felt herself sink a little lower in her chair.