Blake squeezed his eyes shut.
For one agonizing second, nothing happened.
Click.
The lock disengaged, low mechanical hum following as the reinforced door slowly slid open.
Blake nearly stumbled backward.
"...Phew."
He exhaled so heavily that his shoulders sagged.
He had been so unbelievably anxious that he genuinely thought he was about to faint.
'It actually worked...'
The door was fortunately open, and that was all that mattered!
Taking a moment to steady his breathing, he stepped inside.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Compared to the floors below, the fourth floor was remarkably dark. The ceiling lights remained on, but only faintly, casting long shadows throughout the corridors.
Most of the illumination came from somewhere else.
A soft green glow.
It wasn't bright enough to reveal its source, merely enough to tint the hallways with an eerie emerald hue.
Blake quietly looked around.
What surprised him the most, however, wasn't the lighting.
