A moment earlier
The instant Maria and Diane stepped into the lift, the lights flickered violently before going out altogether.
The floor shook beneath their feet, the metal walls groaning as if the cables had snapped, and Maria instinctively grabbed the railing.
Something was wrong and she could feel it crawling up her spine even before the lift finally steadied itself.
When the lights came back on, her breath caught.
Diane was gone.
"Diane…?" Maria whispered, her voice small and unsteady as she spun around.
Panic surged as her eyes scanned every corner of the lift, searching for any sign of her.
"Diane?! Where are you?!"
There was no answer. The space felt weird as if Diane had never been there at all, as though the lift itself had separated them and dropped them into different places.
DING.
The doors slid open, revealing a long hallway bathed in red light. Maria stepped out slowly, her grip tightening around her gun as her pulse raced.
