As soon as she was breathing semi-normally again, she pushed to her feet and headed after John. Now that they were separated, the silent emptiness of the corridors seemed especially spooky, and the echo of Molly’s boots against the concrete floor sounded much too loud to her own ears. She quieted her footsteps and resisted the urge to call out to John. He could very well have chased his quarry right out of the building and down the alley, and she didn’t want to announce her presence to anyone else who might be lurking in the dark.

The stacks of boxes and pallets absorbed the sounds of her footsteps, somehow making the warehouse seem even eerier than if the space had echoed. It made her feel as if anyone could be creeping up on her or waiting in the shadows just ahead, preparing to grab her as she walked by. Her pace slowed as she peered into the dark corners, finding imaginary menacing figures in every innocuous shape.

A clang rang out, and Molly’s muscles tensed as her body prepared for a fight, before she realized that her foot had hit a discarded scrap of metal, sending it spinning to hit the wall. Her shoulders lowered slightly, but her hands didn’t drop to her sides. Instead, she walked with her fists raised, ready to take on whatever was hiding in the darkness. One of the shadows detached from the others, and she rocked back, hissing as she sucked in a reverse gasp. Her body automatically fell into a defensive position as the towering figure stepped closer, looking huge and dangerous in silhouette.

“It’s just me.” John’s voice was low but immediately recognizable as his, and all of the tension drained out of her, leaving her feeling almost too limp to stand. He stepped closer, and her gaze ran over his face. She felt enormously grateful to see those familiar features.

“Lost him?” she asked. Although her voice was quiet, it still seemed too loud, echoing through the empty space.

“Yeah.” John grimaced. “He’s fast. By the time I realized he wasn’t in front of me anymore, he was long gone.”

Molly sighed, partly in disappointment, and partly from sheer exhaustion. After multiple adrenaline rushes in such a short time, her body was calling it quits. Turning, she headed toward the front of the building. The shadows and the missing skip were still out there, however, reminding her that she couldn’t relax yet. The threat wasn’t eliminated.

“Where are you going?” John asked softly, falling in beside her. He appeared to be in better shape than her tired self, his eyes alert and his head turning from side to side as he kept a lookout for possible danger. There was tension to his muscles, like he was prepared to take on whatever emerged from those menacing shadows. Having John on guard allowed her to shift out of alert mode, and she let him check for danger as she focused on finding their way out.