- Kyle Valtier's POV -
I walked past the closed doors.
Tick… that was my first step on the decaying wood.
Tick… my second step.
Tick… my third step.
I stopped.
A cold drop of sweat slid from my forehead down my temple despite the freezing air around me.
My heightened auditory senses—always my greatest weapon—picked up a terrifying anomaly that couldn't be explained.
I began walking again, this time very slowly, focusing every ounce of my concentration on the sound of my footsteps.
Tick… the sound of my leather shoe striking the wood.
Tak… my blood froze in my veins, and my heart skipped an entire beat.
There was another set of footsteps.
Footsteps that matched the rhythm of mine exactly, following me from behind.
My tactical mind immediately tried to find a logical explanation.
An echo? No. An echo follows a sound by a fraction of a second, is fainter, and gradually fades.
This wasn't an echo.
