[6] Left Behind

Creak. Creak. Creak.

The entity's footsteps on the rickety staircase were heavy, but not menacing. And although the intervals between the steps were slow, it didn't sound like the person was being cautious. By the sounds of things, they were simply physically tired, like a person coming home from a long day of work. As soon as the entity came into view, Atticus instantly understood why.

He looked like a man in his late sixties, but Atticus knew that he was actually centuries older. With a big, bushy grey beard and round, brown eyes, he looked extremely human in nature. A long brown coat hung down past his knees, and a tartan flat cap sat perched over the top of his very round head. Like Frances, he had a pleasant, wholesome presence, with the additional air of someone who had seen the whole world several times over.