Just as he started to turn around, I jumped and curled into a ball behind one of the huge flowerpots. My back slammed against the wall, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to cover my whimper.

Silence.

I could hear my heart pounding against my ribcage as I waited for a sound. Sound of his footsteps.

But for some moments, there were none.

Then I heard him taking some steps closer.

No, no, no!

Closing my eyes, I shrunk against the cold wall as he approached. I couldn’t get caught.

As I prayed in my mind relentlessly, the blare of his phone echoed throughout the empty hallway.

His footsteps stopped.

“Hello?” His slimy voice reached my ears.

Silence.

And then I heard him again. “Yeah, I’m almost there. Did you bring your dogs with you?”

Dogs?

“All right, see you in a minute.” His footsteps retreated and slowly faded away.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Coming out from behind the flowerpot, I stood up. That was close. Thank God for his phone call.

I have to be more careful.

But what dogs was he talking about?

Without wasting another second, I tiptoed down the narrow corridor that led to another wide, darker one.

Gulping, I tried to ignore the fear knotting inside my stomach. I felt the pepper spray in my back pocket that I always carried and gripped my phone tighter in my hand. Just in case.

My heart thumped down my chest as I slowly peeked around. No sign of him. The corridor seemed endless, with endless rooms on both sides.

Sweat trickled down my spine as I took slow steps ahead.

Carter should’ve told Ace by now. Why hasn’t he called me yet? I hope he didn’t sign the contract.

I looked at the phone to see if there were any missed calls or messages. But there was none. Keeping an eye around, I called Ace. It went unreachable again. With a silent groan, I called Carter.

But it was switched off.

What the hell? What’s wrong with his phone now?

I tried again, but to no avail. It went directly to voice message.

Something churned in my stomach. An ominous feeling rolled inside me.

Why were both of their phones off? Ace should’ve switched on his phone by now. And Carter? He never kept his phone off, nor did he ever let his battery die.

Was everything okay?

And then I heard them. Male voices.

Following the sound, I came to a halt before a room with its door slightly ajar. Though the hallway’s light was dimmed, the room was bright enough for me to see every faces clearly.

SEVENTY: HE DIES…