The stairs went down farther than Sera expected.
She was sure that the concrete was cold under her boots, but either way, she didn't feel it. Each step held the same careful rise and depth, built by hands that thought measurements and right angles made things 'government' safe.
The alarm above them muted as they descended until it became a dull hum pressed into the ceiling.
Around them, the air seemed to thicken.
The smell of bleach, old infections, and stale sweat greeted them. Sera wrinkled her nose, more than familiar with that particular scent. It was the same that Adam's lab had in her last life.
Her creature tasted the air and went still in a focused way. They buried their mistakes. Too bad they did not bury them deep enough.
The emergency lights came first, thin strips running along the bottom edges of the walls. Red bands painted the corridor in short pulses. The overhead lights flicked on a second later, humming in an uneven rhythm.
