Jioni made her way up the steps: the still darkness of the area made her stomach turn. The flashlight continued to flicker periodically, to the point where visibility alternated from clear to invisible. There were no nearby windows or holes in the roof: the floor was completely black with no natural sunlight in sight. Both Kathy and Brandon trailed behind, as Jioni hastened her steps.
“How much further up is it?” Brandon asked.
“Not that far up. I think we are on the third floor. Wait, maybe the second?” Jioni said as she continued up the flight of stairs. In her impatience, she began skipping steps to get there faster. Meanwhile, Kathy’s breathing became audible.
“Doing fine down there?” Jioni called out.
“I hate stairs,” Kathy replied. “Especially when there’s multiple of them.”
