of the limestone rift. The grease hadn’t just retreated; it had eaten into the solid rock, leaving a shallow, smoking trough that wound deeper into the dark.

She took

silence that followed was suffocating, broken only by the wet, rhythmic *plip-drop* of acidic condensation from the cavern ceiling. Maeve kept her flashlight beam low, painting the edges

gelatinous, iridescent membrane that clung to the stone like cooling tallow.

Maeve forced her lungs to expand, swallowing the metallic, chemical stench that hung in the humid air. The

Wait, "the grease's retreat" implies it's a known entity or a strange substance. * Let's write: "...leaving behind a gelatinous,

frantic, rapid thud of her own pulse. She held her breath, staring at the lip of the crack in the bedrock. The steam had thinned, leaving behind a