The footsteps stopped halfway down the corridor.
Jessica stood perfectly still in the center of the underground
room, her eyes fixed on the shadowed hallway where the sound
had come from. The hum of the emergency lights overhead filled
the silence like a faint electrical whisper.
Her phone vibrated in her hand.
Micah.
JESSICA DON'T MOVE
She swallowed slowly.
"That wasn't the plan," she whispered under her breath.
The footsteps resumed.
Slow.
Careful.
Whoever was coming down the corridor wasn't rushing.
They were confident.
Jessica glanced back at the black device sitting on the pedestal
behind her.
The key.
It sat quietly in the dim light, its smooth surface reflecting the
flicker of the overhead lamps.
Her phone buzzed again.
TAKE IT
Jessica hesitated.
"Are you
