It was a hallway, though not like the previous one. Reid reached out and touched the wall, finding it hard and cold, like stone. He stepped one foot inside the hallway, and the worn wooden floor creaked in protest beneath it. At least they’d be able to see in this hallway, thanks to the torches that hung every ten feet. A small flame burned inside each one. The hall was long and only wide enough for them to move in a single file. Reid led the way, with Heather, Clint in between, and Alex bringing up the rear. Each footstep they took was slow and cautious, and the floor groaned, filling the hall with an eerie sound, with every move they made.
“I can’t see the end of the hallway,” Reid called back over his shoulder. “It’s like it just goes on and on.”
“We gotta keep going,” Alex called back. “Keep moving.”
The last word bounced off the walls and kept reverberating down the hallway ahead of them.
Reid picked up the pace. A couple minutes passed and nothing changed. The hall still went on with no end in sight.
“I’m getting tired,” Clint said in a breathy voice. “And hot.” He braced his arm on the wall and leaned in.
“Reid, stop,” Heather called ahead. “He needs a break.”
Reid turned back to his friends and saw Clint’s face was red like a tomato. He was leaning against the wall, his breathing audible.
“Sorry.” Clint gulped. “So hot.”
“We’ve got to get out of the hallway,” Alex said. “I don’t wanna scare you guys. It’s just a feeling, but…someone’s following us.”
Reid could feel it, too. Something he couldn’t put into words, but he feared it just the same. Something was behind them, just out of view, following.
“Heather, lean back against the wall,” Reid said. “Clint, walk past Heather, come to me.”
“I can’t. I’m so tired. Just need to wait here a bit longer.”
That’s when
the tiny voices started. Piercing whispers.
“Watching…”
“Waiting…”
“Watching…”
“Waiting…”
It sounded like the voices came from behind and danced across the walls, up the ceiling, past everyone. And now they were circling back.
“Now!” Reid shouted at Clint.
Clint pushed himself off the wall and rushed past Heather.
Reid scooped Clint over his shoulder, in a fireman’s carry, and hurried on down the hallway. Pure adrenaline gave him the strength and will. He grunted as he tried to keep his breathing steady.
“Watching…”
“Waiting…”
“You hear those whispers?” Heather called out. “Where are they coming from?”
“Keep moving!” Alex yelled.
And still the hallway didn’t let up. Reid steeled himself, trying not to think about his legs or his lungs, both burning like motherfuckers. He thought about Stacy and her lips and how if he could just get out of this thing, he’d plant a real kiss on her. The hallway began to turn to the right and slope downward, as if to challenge him further, but Reid didn’t falter. He kept going, his legs turning into jelly, one painful step after another. For another five minutes, the hallway went on, sloping and turning. He never looked back to make sure the rest were following. He couldn’t. He had to focus. He never took a moment to ask Clint if he was okay. He couldn’t spare the breath. Keep moving.
And then the hallway opened, growing to about ten feet wide, revealing a winding, ascending staircase.
Reid wanted to topple over, to drop Clint’s weight, take a goddamned deep breath and relax for a moment, but he couldn’t. He knew someone or something was following them. Even though he couldn’t see anything, the whispers were enough.
“Watching…”
“Watching…”
“Watching…”
Nowhere to go but up. He took a deep breath and lifted his foot for the first step. As he wavered, Reid felt a hand on his back.
“I got you.” Alex said.
He steadied Reid enough to take another step. Then another. Reid risked a glance back to make sure his friends were following and to make sure Alex still had his back in case he fell.
He saw Heather reach back and grab one of the torches off the wall. It illuminated their path further down the hall, and they all turned to see what lay ahead. At the far end, the torches began to snuff out one by one, heading toward them. The wooden floor creaked with what sounded like tiny footsteps, shuffling quickly down the hallway.
“Watching…”
“Waiting…”
Heather spun around, trying to find the source of the voices. Everyone’s eyes followed the light as it bounced off the floor, ceiling, walls. Reid’s breath caught in his throat as the light cast a shadow on the walls behind them. Tiny figures with flapping wings raced up and down the wall, chasing each other, nipping at each other’s heels.
They had no choice. Forward into the darkness once more.