The shadow moved, and I ran.
I turned and bolted down the passage with one hand skimming the wall.
My breath tore in and out of me. The basement seemed to narrow as I ran, the darkness pressing in from both sides like it wanted to swallow the sound of my steps. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. Looking back felt like inviting proof, and I wasn’t ready for proof.
Then my hand hit metal. A door.
I grabbed the handle so hard my palm slipped, twisted it, and nearly cried when it gave. I stumbled through the opening and shoved the door behind me with both hands, throwing my weight against it until the latch caught with a heavy click.
For a second, I just stood there. Bent over. Shaking. Listening. Nothing hit the other side. No footsteps. No hand on the knob. No voice. Only silence again, wh
