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Through the darkness, Lauri’s footsteps echoed, his flashlight trembling in his grip as he pushed deeper into the damp, unfinished subway tunnels beneath Helsinki. The flickering beam barely cut through the shadows, revealing cracked concrete and twisted rebar—the skeletal remains of a city’s abandoned ambition. With each step, his boots squelched against the moisture-soaked ground, his heart pounding in his chest. Yet something else pressed against him—a low, almost electric hum vibrating in the air, settling uneasily on his skin.
Sulfur. The sharp sting in his throat confirmed it. This wasn’t decay. It was fire.
A sharp breath caught in his throat as he continued forward, each step feeling heavier than the last. Something was wrong here. Ancient. Alive.
Lauri’s boot brushed something odd. A mark, burned into the stone. Kneeling, he traced the edge of the imprint with the beam of his light. A hoofprint—massive, too large to belong to anything he’d seen before.
Heat radiated off it, unnatural. The stone beneath his fingertips remained warm. His hand trembled, despite his efforts to steady it. As his fingers brushed the mark, the stone vibrated faintly in response.
A crack.
He froze.
Another crack. Then a sound—a deep, gut-wrenching movement, like something massive, something alive, shifting in the shadows.
The tunnel trembled, sending dust cascading from the ceiling, caught in the flickering beam of his flashlight. Thick and oppressive, the air pressed down on him. Then, a sound—low and unmistakable—a deep exhale, a guttural sigh that rattled through his chest.
Lauri’s pulse quickened, his breath shallow. His light bounced across the walls, revealing nothing. Except the eyes.
Two molten orbs glowed from the darkness, like burning coals. Lauri’s blood ran cold as they fixed on him—unblinking, hungry. The Iso Härkä.
It stepped forward.
Beneath its weight, the ground cracked, each movement forcing the stone to groan and tremble. From the shadows, its towering form emerged, massive and menacing. Heat radiated from its body, warping the air and making the walls ripple like water. Closer it loomed, its bull-like head crowned with jagged horns that pulsed with molten fire.
Lauri stumbled back, his chest tight.
This wasn’t real.
Yet, it was.
A violent snort shattered the silence, sending a shockwave through the tunnel. Lauri nearly lost his balance, his knees buckling. He caught himself against the jagged stone wall, his face scorched by the heat of the beast’s breath. Sweat poured down his brow, the sulfur scent thickening in the air.
The eyes never wavered.
Terror crawled beneath his skin as his heartbeat thundered in his ears. Looming dangerously near, it pressed in—too close.
“What... is this?” His voice barely rose above a whisper, struggling to comprehend the impossible vision before him. But it was no illusion. The creature was real, ancient—its presence an overwhelming testament to something forgotten.
With a heavy scrape of its hooves, the bull advanced, its massive form radiating unbearable heat that crackled with primal energy. The air pulsed, and Lauri felt it deep in his chest, his heartbeat syncing with the creature’s rhythm. The Iso Härkä was awake—and it was hungry.
Before its massive mouth opened, before releasing a sound like a thousand storms, Lauri escaped through a side passage of the subway tunnel. Behind him, the beast’s roar reverberated through his body, filling every corner of the tunnel.
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From above, the rumble grew louder—a low, menacing growl vibrating through the tunnel and shaking the earth beneath their feet. As Lauri’s pulse quickened, he glanced at his team: Dr. Aino Lehtinen, pale but resolute, clutching the ancient texts, and Veeti Koskinen, his hands trembling ever so slightly while preparing the explosives.
“We don’t have much time,” Aino muttered, urgency clear in her voice. “The ritual must be flawless. Or it won’t work.”
Lauri swallowed, his mind spinning. The Iso Härkä—an ancient, terrifying force, a beast that should remain buried—was awakening. If they failed, Helsinki would crumble beneath its fury. The cold air felt thick, swirling with sulfur and something darker, as though the tunnel itself held its breath.
“We’re ready,” Veeti said, his voice calm, even in the chaos closing in around them. He placed iron relics at the center of the ritual circle—worn, ancient, yet pulsing with an eerie power. Lauri could feel the vibrations of the beast moving in the distance, the pounding of its hooves against the earth, like a storm rushing toward them.
“Begin the chant, Aino,” Lauri urged, panic rising in his chest. “Hurry.”
Aino nodded, quickly flipping open the fragile pages. Her voice, when it came, was a whisper, yet it carried the weight of centuries. The words were foreign, old—rhythmic and filled with power. As she spoke, the atmosphere shifted, the air shimmering with ancient energy. The heat from Iso Härkä’s presence pressed closer, suffocating, overwhelming.
Without warning, the tunnel split open with a deafening roar. The beast charged.
In an instant, Lauri sprang into motion, his legs moving faster than he thought possible. Beneath him, the floor shook as molten hooves struck the stone, sending rocks and dust flying. The heat came first—searing, burning air rushing past—just before the creature emerged.
His jacket screamed in protest, fabric catching fire as the bull grazed his arm, its massive frame sending him sprawling. The pain was immediate—white-hot, blinding—but Lauri forced himself to his feet, gritting his teeth.
“Veeti!” Aino shouted, panic creeping into her voice. “Now!”
Without hesitation, Veeti triggered the detonator. The explosion thundered through the tunnel, rattling the walls and sending violent tremors through the earth. Lauri threw himself aside, narrowly avoiding falling debris as the tunnel shook violently. The iron-laced barrier slammed into place just as the beast charged into it.
Silence fell for a brief moment. The dust settled, thick and choking. Lauri blinked through the haze, his heart pounding as the final echoes of the explosion faded. The iron barrier held.
But through the jagged edges of the collapsing tunnel, Lauri saw it—molten eyes, glowing with fury, flickering in the smoke. Iso Härkä, its massive silhouette looming on the other side, its head lowered, watching.
Lauri’s chest tightened, his heart skipping a beat as his gaze locked with the beast’s. Its eyes bore into him, heavy with rage and something older, something unfathomable. The gaze didn’t waver, didn’t blink. It waited. Watched. A quiet, unnerving presence that sent a chill down his spine.
With a light touch, Aino’s hand rested on his shoulder, and he realized they both trembled under the weight of the moment. Silence filled the tunnel, while above, the city seemed steady once more.
Lauri took a deep, steadying breath. “Is it... over?”
Aino didn’t answer immediately. She stared at the creature, the remnants of the ritual circle still smoldering in the air.
“No,” she whispered at last. “Some things are never truly gone.”
Lauri’s gaze returned to the rubble, his mind haunted by Iso Härkä’s molten eyes. The feeling gripped him—a quiet, gnawing certainty—that they weren’t sealing away the beast. They were buying time. The creature wasn’t dead. It was waiting.
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Exciting news! My book, Cumberland Chronicles at Books2Read, is now available! If you enjoy the supernatural, horror, and the weird, I’d love for you to check it out. Even if it’s not your thing, a quick share would help me reach the right readers. Thank you for the support!
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