Katelyn’s POV

The smoke alarm’s shrill cry finally faded, leaving a ringing silence behind it.

I stood near the hallway entrance, my phone flashlight cutting a narrow path through the darkness.

The entire floor was cloaked in a heavy, electrical stillness, no lights, no sounds except for soft footsteps and the nervous whispering of employees near the stairwell.

Ethan stood beside me, his jaw tight, shoulders squared as if bracing for an unseen threat.

His phone cast a beam of light down ...