The air smelled of old ash, mold, and the sharp scent of the incoming sea storm.

“Do you hear that?” Beatrice whispered suddenly.

I listened closely.

A low, humming sound was coming from the back hallway, the area the first officer had gone to investigate.

It sounded like a generator or an engine idling outside the rear exit.

“Officer,” I said, pointing toward the dark corridor. “There’s a sound back there.”

Officer Davis frowned, tilting his head to listen.

“Stay here,” he instructed us.

He drew his flashlight and began to walk slowly down the corridor, his boots crunching on the broken plaster.

“Don’t leave us!” Beatrice called out, but the officer ignored her, his focus locked on the darkness ahead.

As soon as he turned the corner, the light from his flashlight vanished.

The room became incredibly dark, lit only by the grey moonlight filtering through the high windows.

“We should go to the car,” Beatrice whispered, her hand reaching for my wrist.

“No,” I said, pulling away from her. “We wait for Liam and the detective.”