He arrived too late. That was the first thing his mind registered, not even from sight but from instinct, from that sharp, sinking feeling that crept into his chest the moment he stepped into the underground space. The place was wrong and drastically Too quiet. The underground had never been quiet, not like this.
It was always filled with noise, with movement, with men talking over each other, the sound of fists meeting flesh in the ring, the burst of life that made the place feel alive no matter the hour.
Now there was nothing but silence, it was heavy and suffocating, pressing down on him like the walls themselves were closing in.
