The darkness felt alive.
Not silent.
Waiting.
The heavy vault door continued to grind shut with a deafening metallic groan.
Anthony stepped in front of Evelyn without hesitation.
"Stay behind me."
Benjamin gripped the leather notebook tightly against his chest.
"No one was supposed to be down here."
Another footstep echoed.
Closer.
Then another.
Whoever was approaching wasn't trying to hide.
A beam of light suddenly pierced the darkness.
A flashlight.
It swept slowly across the floor before stopping on the three of them.
"Don't panic."
The unfamiliar voice was calm.
"We're not here to hurt you."
Anthony wasn't convinced.
"Then show yourself."
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Finally, a tall figure stepped into the dim emergency lighting that had begun flickering
