Jake's POV
It was a sound.
Whimpering.
Low, soft. Coming from just around the corner behind us.
I froze. My breath caught in my throat. It didn’t sound human. Or maybe it did, and that made it worse. That breathy, wet sound of someone—or something—crying, or gasping through pain or hunger or both.
I turned slightly, just enough to glance over my shoulder.
The corner was swallowed in shadow. Too dark. Too quiet. Like the air was thick back there.
Reed didn’t stop. But he did look.
His eyes narrowed as he stared down the corridor.
If looks could kill, that darkness would’ve exploded into ash. He stared at it like he dared whatever was behind the corner to come out.
Then he yanked me again, harder this time, pulling me in the opposite direction. I almost tripped over my own feet tr
