*****

It was a long way down, dark, and musty, and there was a lot of dust swirling around in the air, which caused his nose to twitch. He maintains a heightened state of awareness at all times in the case that someone approaches from behind.

It was so dark that it was impossible to make out any details in the hallway, but just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, a muffled voice reverberated through it.

“Help! Please! Somebody!”

Val halted in his tracks and cocked his head to the side ...