There was no answer, only the sound of slow, heavy footsteps shuffling on the gravel outside the back exit.

Liam stepped in front of me, his hand reaching into his coat pocket as he moved toward the edge of the stage.

The footsteps stopped.

Then, the floorboards above us groaned loudly, as if someone were walking directly over our heads.

I looked up at the charred ceiling, the dark gaps between the beams offering no answers.

The phone in Liam’s hand vibrated once more, but this time it was a text message.

Liam looked down at the screen, his face turning pale in the dim light.

“Audrey,” he whispered, his voice trembling.

“What is it?” I asked, my grip on Beatrice loosening slightly.

He turned the screen toward me so I could see the message.

The text was from an unknown number.

It read: *I have the girl. If the police enter, she burns.*

My breath caught in my throat as the words sank in.

The screen glowed against the dark, damp air of the ruined hall.

Beatrice lunged forward, her fingers clawing at Liam’s arm.