He turned toward the heavy metal exit door that led to the service alley.

“Stop him, Dad,” I whispered.

But before my father could move, the emergency alarm on the wall began to blare.

The red strobe lights started flashing, bathing the hallway in a crimson glow.

The heavy security doors at both ends of the hallway began to slide shut.

Martin gasped, dropping the bag as he lunged toward the exit.

The metal door clicked shut just before he reached it.

The lock engaged with a heavy, final thud.

We were trapped in the archive wing.

And then, the lights went completely black.

In the darkness, the red strobe light flashed once every three seconds, casting long, eerie shadows.

“What did you do?” Martin yelled from the dark.

“I didn’t do this,” my father said, his voice tense.

My phone buzzed again in my hand.

The screen lit up, illuminating our faces in a pale blue light.

There was another text message from the unknown number.

*He’s not the only one looking for those files.*

A loud, heavy scraping sound echoed from the other side of the exit door.