They walked the narrow hallway all the way back to the stingy floor. They tried to make sense of the layout while they were there and walking back, but it felt like the walls were changing and the directions were fooling you into believing you had just been there. After a dreadful amount of time, they finally found the door leading them back to the rest of the group.
Richard pushed forward and swung the door open. He stepped inside with Sol and Kai close behind. The room was, as always, dim. The same stale air filled their nostrils, and Sol scrunched his nose, still not used to the stench.
Sol looked around and noticed Mary sitting on the floor with Ivy curled up against her, asleep. Ivy seemed to have fallen asleep while clutching a ragged blanket.
Chastity stood near the supply room, her arms crossed over he chest and leaned against a wall. Her eyes looked sharp as she unfolded her arms. She glanced over at Richard and toward the Sol and Kai. She flatly said, "You're back." She walked closer to Richard. "We were starting to wonder if you'd gotten lost."
Richard scoffed and pushed past her toward the supply room, complaining as usual about something. He dropped his gear with a thud, muttering under his breath, "Fucking hell... What have you been doing? Huh?" You could hear him rummaging through the crates.
Kai lingered in the doorway, his face steady and controlled, no emotion in sight.
Mary finally looked up, relief flickering across her face. "Oh, thank God. It's good that you're safe." Mary tried to smile lightly, but suddenly, because of the sound, Ivy stirred. She shifted against her mother, eyelids fluttering open. Then she sat up, blinking at Kai and Sol. Sol had taken a few steps inside, and Kai finally decided to follow inside and close the door.
Ivy tried to talk, "You came back..." Her voice sounded small and almost groggy. Mary nodded and stroked her hair gently, "Yes, sweetheart. They came back."
Sol looked down, a little guilty that he woke Ivy up. He took a few steps closer to her and crouched down, offering a smile, "Sorry... Did we wake you?"
Ivy shook her head. Sol smiled, a little relieved. Suddenly, Mary stood up. "Ivy, sweetie, stay here. I'll be right back. Can I talk to you?" She turned to Sol. Sol's eyes widened slightly, but he agreed. "Sure..."
They moved a few steps away from Ivy, far enough so that she couldn't hear them. "I heard something," Mary whispered. "Like talking. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't you."
Sol and Mary exchanged uneasy glances. Voices? Again? Or was it the same? Sol tried to piece together the mystery of the voices. By doing so, his eyes slightly widened, and Mary noticed this. "Hey, what's wrong?" She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him, concerned. "Did something happen out there? Tell me." Sol finally looked down at her and pursed his lips together, "When we... were out looking, we decided to separate. Kai and I stuck together, but Richard left on his own. However, we then heard a sound while exploring a room, and it was Richard. He said he had heard some voices and ran."
Mary lightly nodded as she listened to Sol explain what had happened with Richard. Suddenly, Richard stormed out of the supply room, "Yeah, yeah! Let's not keep it a secret. I heard voices." Chastity immediately threw Richard a stare. "What are you saying?" She asked. "I'm saying, we're not alone."
Ivy's eyes widened. Even though she's young, she could still grasp the situation.
Sol noticed this, but not before Mary did, and went to comfort her daughter. "Apparently, cupcake over here also heard strange voices." Richard glanced at Mary and smirked eerily. Mary held her daughter close. "I did..."
Kai had been watching the exchange unfold the whole time with a faint grin. "Voices," He repeated, almost tasting the word. "You sure you weren't hallucinating? You go crazy and imagine things when you're under stress..." He had a point. Sol thought. Why didn't Chastity hear these voices? Or Kai and him when they were outside?
Richard shot him a glare. "Don't start with your cryptic crap, asshole. I know what I heard."
Kai raised his hands in mock surrender, though his grin didn't fade. "I'm not denying it. I'm just saying... sometimes the mind plays tricks. Maybe even this building is fooling us. Or maybe..." He paused, letting the silence stretch, his eyes flicking toward Ivy, "... there really is someone."
Mary narrowed her eyes and tightened her hold on her daughter. he voice stayed sharp, "Don't scare her."
Kai tilted his head and lowered his hand, his tone softening just a fraction. "I'm not trying to. But if you heard it, too, then maybe we should take it a little seriously."
Chastity fixed her stare on Kai. "So what are you suggesting? Are there people here? Are we being watched or... followed?" Kai shrugged, stepping closer to the group. "Maybe. Or maybe you imagined it. If they don't stop, right? We'll look into it."
Sol frowned, biting his lip while his jaw was slightly tight, "We still need to figure it out... Figure out if they're real. If Richard and Mary both heard them, then it's not just imagination."
Richard scoffed, "Finally, someone agrees with me. Just don't ever fucking say I'm crazy."
Kai's grin widened, "Oh, I agree. But I also think we should ask ourselves why the voices haven't shown themselves yet. If they wanted to get us or whatever they want with us, they could've done more than whisper. So maybe they're waiting. Testing even."