“Is anyone supposed to be down there?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “The IT staff went home at five, and the external maintenance crew isn’t scheduled until Saturday.”

I pressed the button for the elevator, but the light didn’t turn on.

“Use the stairs,” Derek said, already turning toward the exit door at the end of the hall.

We pushed through the heavy fire door and hurried down the concrete stairwell.

The air in the stairs was cooler, smelling of damp dust and fresh paint.

Our footsteps echoed off the bare walls like rapid gunfire.

When we reached the basement level, I pulled the door open slowly.

The basement hallway was dimly lit by a single row of fluorescent tubes.

At the far end of the corridor, the security light above the server room door was flashing amber.

The door itself was unlatched, resting a few inches open.

A thin sliver of white light escaped from the gap.

I felt a cold knot tighten in my stomach.

“Stay behind me,” I whispered to Derek.

He didn’t listen; he stepped up right next to me, his shoulders square.