Radio to the heart

Sephira's Role**

The hallway stretched before me like a forgotten relic, bathed in flickering light that barely illuminated the peeling wallpaper. The wind outside moaned through the cracks in the windows, a low, haunting whistle that followed me as I moved. My footsteps were quick but cautious, a steady rhythm of panic thudding in my chest. Every nerve in my body was screaming at me to run, but something in the oppressive silence of the hotel held me back. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being followed-hunted, even.

I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see something, anything. The hallway behind me was empty, but it didn't feel right. The air was thick, the kind of thick that made it hard to breathe. My mouth went dry as I whispered under my breath, "I need to find a way out."

The floor creaked beneath me as I rounded the corner, pushing through an old door that led to the stairwell. My hand trembled on the cold metal railing as I descended, each step making my breath come out faster, more uneven. I couldn't tell if the pounding in my ears was my pulse or if something was closer than I realized. My legs felt weak, my knees threatening to give out beneath me, but I had to keep moving. I had to.

The basement door loomed ahead, old and battered, as though it had stood the test of time against things no one wanted to face. I shoved it open, stumbling into the darkened space. The shift in temperature was immediate, the cold air biting at my skin, making me shiver uncontrollably. The brick walls were damp to the touch, and the smell of mildew filled my lungs. The dull clang of rusted pipes echoed in the distance, a faint sound that only added to my growing sense of dread.

I tripped, my foot catching on something uneven in the floor. Pain shot through my wrists as I hit the cold stone hard, the impact jarring every nerve. "Dammit..." I muttered, scrambling to my feet. "No, no, no..."

I didn't have time to think about the throbbing in my hands. The shadow that had been lurking behind me-following me-was here now, closer, moving faster. I could feel it. My body tensed, every muscle ready to bolt, but fear locked me in place for one agonizing second.

My head snapped toward the darkened corner of the basement, where something impossibly large and distorted moved toward me. The dim light from above barely touched it, but I could see enough to know that it wasn't human. My breath hitched, and for the briefest moment, I thought about screaming, but no sound came.

A door ahead. My only escape. I lunged for it, my fingers barely grazing the handle when a cold gust of air swept past me, the sensation of something unseen brushing against my skin. My stomach twisted in knots as I pushed the door open and ran, my feet slapping against the stone floor.

I couldn't tell if the sound behind me was getting closer or if my own heartbeat was deafening me, but I knew I had to keep going. If I stopped now, I wouldn't make it.

The darkness in the basement pressed in closer, the walls seeming to shrink around me as I darted toward the only sliver of light-a flickering bulb suspended above an ancient, rusted pipe. The shadow behind me, whatever it was, moved with unnatural speed, closing the distance in seconds. I could feel the coldness of it, like death creeping up my spine, and my throat tightened in fear.

I reached out, desperate, my fingers brushing the edge of the door that was meant to be my escape. But before I could pull it open, something shifted in the corner of my vision-movement, silent and fluid, like a shadow of its own.

Then, she was there.

Sephira stepped out of the darkness, her appearance as sudden as the tension that seemed to hum through the air. She moved with an eerie grace, her silhouette barely illuminated by the faint light overhead, but I knew it was her. The flicker of the bulb cast her in and out of shadow, her dark hair framing a face that looked calm but held an edge of danger.