I Wasn't Alone.

Step~ Step~

He slowly walked towards me, each step he took intensified the illusory grip on my heart, as though to crush it to paste.

Ba- thump! Ba- thump!

With each step, my heartbeat quickened, drumming against my ribs as though to match the measured rhythm of his steps.

"Based on investigation," he began, his shoe clicking against the floor as he circled me. "You and your dead colleagues, Rhea and Silas all came together every night."

Pausing, as though to let the tension sink in. His gaze met mine and then, he added with a grim expression:

"Care to tell what the late-night meetings were for?"

"Huff…"

I exhaled quietly, my voice barely audible over the disorienting cacophony of my heartbeat.

Regaining my calm, I finally spoke up:

"Silas found me and informed me of a notebook- one supposedly from an ancient era. According to him, even with his decent archaeological knowledge, he wasn't able to decipher it."