"Hold."
Everyone froze.
Noah glanced at Lucas, but Lucas was already tense, waiting for her report.
Bailey's breathing was controlled, but there was something sharp in her tone.
"There's a rhythm," she whispered. "A... beat."
Noah frowned. "What?"
"A pulse," Bailey clarified. "Like a heartbeat."
A slow, deliberate thump-thump. Faint, but consistent.
Bailey's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Someone's watching you."
Silence.
Then—nothing.
The pulse vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only the quiet hum of distant city traffic. Bailey adjusted her headset, brow furrowed in concentration.
"It's gone," she muttered, fingers brushing the ground. "Could be interference from the old wiring systems. These dorms haven't been renovated in years."
Lucas studied the area, eyes scanning the shadows. After a moment, he nodded. "Keep monitoring. We move forward."