The slow, rhythmic click of expensive shoes echoed through the damp corridor, a sharp contrast to the heavy, chaotic thuds of the tactical boots from earlier.
The large guard standing beside me instantly snapped to attention, his posture stiffening as he stepped back into the shadows.
The sheer, terrifying authority radiating from those approaching footsteps made the breath catch completely in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut for a fraction of a second, bracing my body for a monster.
My heart hammered so violently against my ribs that I could hear the rushing of my own blood loud in my ears, drowning out the ambient dripping of the leaky pipes in the ceiling. Every muscle in my torso locked tight as the sound grew louder, a steady, unhurried cadence that signaled absolute control over this terrifying space.
