Aurora's POV
"How many?"
Sebastian asks it without turning around.
Lucas is already at the end of the hallway, one hand pressed flat against the wall like he is listening to the building breathe. He holds up two fingers first. Then a third.
Three people. Maybe more, not police. Police announce themselves. This is something quieter. "Side corridor," Lucas says. "Thirty seconds if we move now."
Sebastian's grip shifts on my arm. Not tighter. Just ready, I pull free. He looks at me. "I can run," I say.
He does not argue.
Good.
We move fast. Lucas first, then I, then Sebastian at my back like a wall I did not ask for but was too tired to refuse. The hallway splits ahead. The left leads deeper into the annex. The right curve toward what looks like an old service exit.
Lucas goes right.
