“You are a fool, Audrey,” she spat. “If Darrow is up there, he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”

“Darrow is cornered,” I said. “He has nowhere to run.”

“You don’t know him,” she said.

A sudden, sharp yell echoed from the stairwell above us.

It was Liam’s voice.

“Get down!” he shouted.

A gunshot shattered the silence, the sound incredibly loud in the enclosed, hollow building.

The plaster on the wall near the stairs exploded in a cloud of white dust.

Beatrice screamed, dropping to her knees and covering her head.

I ducked behind the concrete pillar, my heart racing so fast I could barely breathe.

“Liam!” I screamed.

There was no answer, only the sound of heavy footsteps running across the floorboards above.

Another shot fired, followed by the sound of breaking glass.

“Police! Drop your weapon!” Holt’s voice echoed from upstairs.

A heavy object crashed down the stairs, bouncing off the steps before landing on the concrete floor below.

It was a flashlight, its beam spinning wildly across the ceiling before flickering out.

The darkness felt heavier now, pressing in from all sides.