The library's silence stretched thin as Mia and Claire retraced their steps through the labyrinth of dark hallways. Neither of them spoke, the weight of what they carried—both physically and emotionally—pressing down harder with each step. Mia could feel the ledger in her backpack like a heartbeat against her spine, its presence both a victory and a curse. They had what they came for, but the house still pressed in on them, thick with the feeling that it wasn't going to let them leave so easily.
The shadows grew deeper as they reached the meeting point, a dimly lit alcove tucked between the west corridor and the staircase leading down to the exit. Mia scanned the area nervously, adjusting the straps on her bag, listening for footsteps that didn't come. Claire checked her watch, then glanced down the hallway in the direction they'd come from, her jaw tight.
