Victor descended once more, his face just inches from the stone floor already marked by thousands of previous repetitions, and then pushed his body upwards with an effort that seemed to be ripped from somewhere he didn't even know existed, his arms trembling almost violently as the count trailed off between clenched teeth.
"...ten thousand one hundred and twenty-two..." he murmured, more of a surviving sound than actual speech, his chest rising and falling unevenly as he tried, in vain, to regain some control of his breathing. Even so, his gaze drifted for a moment towards the open suitcases on the floor, that strange sensation still creeping through the air like an invisible presence that refused to be ignored.
