Page 119 of Stay Scared

Every movement travels forward through the rope. Cade shifts around his injured ribs, Owen adjusts his hold, and Ash takes up the last inch of slack until all four of us are connected.

Three men behind me in total darkness, with no room to see which one moves first.

“We stay connected,” I say. “Nobody changes position without saying it.”

“And if Rook cuts the rope?” Cade asks.

“We stop. I identify every voice before anyone moves again.”

“Works for me.”

I open the archive door.

The blackout released the electronic lock instead of sealing it, which may be the first useful failure Crimson Night has produced all night.

The corridor beyond is completely dark.

I put one hand against the left wall and keep the rope wrapped once through my other palm before stepping forward.

The first turn comes after twenty paces. Water crosses the floor near the next junction, and I crouch to touch the cold stream moving toward the west passage.

“The route slopes down.”

Ash’s voice comes from the rear. “The north corridor stays above drainage.”

“We aren’t taking north.”

“Damaged electrical lines could be submerged.”

“The building has no power.”

“Rook has independent units.”

I straighten. “Then put your feet where mine go.”

The rope tightens behind me.

Ash follows.

We enter the arcade basement.

The ceiling drops lower. Old pipes crowd the wall beneath my hand, forcing me toward the center of the passage until Cade’s vest brushes the back of my jacket.

His next breath reaches the side of my neck.

“Sorry.”

“You don’t sound sorry.”

“I’m injured, not convincing.”

The corridor narrows again, pulling Owen closer behind Cade and Ash closer behind him. Every step travels through all four bodies.

Cade turns around a broken pipe and his hip slides hard against mine. Owen catches the rope before slack forms, checking Cade’s movement, and Ash reacts to the stop behind him by catching Owen across the shoulder.

The line locks from my palm to the rear.

For a second Cade is pressed against my back, Owen’s breathing comes from just beyond him, and Ash is close enough that the rope tells me exactly when he shifts.