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They reached the door to the stairs and Michael opened it "Let’s just get down as far as we can go We’ll figure it out"

Bryson had been quiet, and he didn’t h His arms were folded and his face had that pinched look of concentration

"You can’t hack your way out of this one," Michael "

"Not a good time," Michael said, but deep down he hoped his friend would devise soo!" Sarah yelled, clearly out of patience

"Okay, okay," Bryson snapped,into the stairwell "Follow me"

And of course he went up the stairs, not down

Sarah took in a breath, probably ready to argue But Michael reached out and squeezed her ar at him anxiously

"I think he’s right on this one," he said, proud of how softly he ed to say it

Sarah’s defeated look showed she knew they were right "I just want to be out of this place"

"Me too But we’d be walking right into their ar up those stairs as we speak"

"Then we better get "

Bryson had already disappeared around the bend of the ascending stairwell, and they took off after hi one, as the nu the floor illustrated all too well Twenty Twenty-five Thirty With no end in sight as Michael paused to catch his breath, looking up through the rectangular spiral of the railings, rising and rising His chest heaved with the effort of cli, and sweat dripped fro," Sarah said through her own huffs

"Gotta … keep … breathing," he mocked in reply

He could suddenly hear distant shouts and footsteps, but the acoustics of the stairwell made it impossible to make out words or to kno close those responsible for the noise were Fear rattled in his chest along with the ragged breaths

"What’s the plan, anyway?" Sarah asked

For some reason Bryson looked like he’d just taken a rest instead of having sprinted up fifteen flights of stairs He pointed up "Hide"

"Hide," Michael repeated

"Yes, hide," Bryson responded sly "You think I would lead you tonderful people on a wild-goose chase that ends with us in the slaood at hide-and-seek," Sarah said "Especially when they have dogs that can sood stuff"