49. Toe The Line.

The woman gasped at the sight of Abe’s light and turned to flee back down the corridor.

“Wait, please!” Abe cried. Every instinct inside him told him to go after her, but he knew the catacombs continued for miles under the city. Who knows how disoriented Ava would be when she came back, and if he wasn't there…

“Please!” he screamed into the blackness. “We need that watch back! We’ll pay you! Anything you want--please come back!” He waited and stared at the end of his weak light's glow, the line where it faded into shadow on the ground. He waited, and prayed that she wasn't gone forever.

The toes of her leather flats appeared first along the line. He looked up and stared at the shadows on her face as she straddled the line between light and dark, careful to keep a safe distance between her and this strange man.

“We?” she said, with a hint of a Parisian accent. “It looks like there is only one of you, Monsieur.”

48. Watching & Waiting.

Abe was left in complete darkness. “Ava?” he whispered. He tried to process what he’d just seen. She had screamed a couple times, spun around, and then...disappeared. Her light, the scuffling of her feet, her breathing, her voice -- all gone. He couldn’t see two inches in front of his face, but he knew what must have happened. If someone had taken her, he would have heard it. He would have heard something. 

If he was right -- and he knew he was right -- he had one hour. They would lose the red-headed girl, that much was sure. But if Abe didn’t wait right here, he might just as easily lose Ava. He’d never be able to find this exact spot if he went wandering off through the catacombs, never mind how disoriented she would be when she came back.

At least he did have a light of his own. He clicked on the flashlight of his phone, but jumped and nearly dropped it in his shock. There, not five feet from where he stood, were the wide and watchful eyes of the red-headed girl. 

47. Cold Breath.

"Someone's following us, Abe," Ava whispered. "Someone definitely grabbed my shoulder."

"I hate to argue," he said, "but if someone was following us, why would they grab your shoulder?" 

Nonetheless, she stared back the way they'd come--but there was no one in the shadowed hallway. She was breathing much too quickly, and tried for a deep breath to calm herself.

But she jumped again when she felt Abe brush a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Stop it!" she said. "What on earth do you think you're doing?!"

"Stop what? I didn't do a thing!" 

Ava realized he stood about a foot behind her. He hadn't reached out at all. 
She spun right and left, but they were still alone. "I thought I felt--" 

And then against her neck, the sharp, cold gasps of someone's breath. 

"No!" she screamed, and spun around again. Her knees gave way, and she caught herself against the wall--her palm directly on the forehead of a smooth, cool human skull. 
A lurch of nausea swung through her stomach. "Abe?!" she cried as she twisted back around.

But Abe was gone.

46. Alone In The Shadows.

Ava wasn't running any longer. “Stupid kid,” she muttered into the dark. There were certainly no cats in this creepy place. The footsteps of the tour group faded away and they both stared in the opposite direction, where they'd seen the redhead sneak off. The light from her phone didn't extend far in this place, so heavy was the darkness around them. 

"The French have always had an odd form of reverence,” said Abe with a nervous glance at the walls, which were lined from floor to ceiling with human skulls and femur bones. Ava squinted forward as they walked, trying to catch a glimpse of -- 

“Did you hear that?" The clicking sound echoed in the halls. Abe squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “I'm fine,” she hissed, and brushed his hand away. 

"Okaaaay," he said sarcastically, "well-done, you, I suppose?" 

She rolled her eyes and shined the light at him. "I'm just saying, I don't need a pat on the back!" 

Abe held up his hands against the bright glare. "Ava, I didn't touch you." .

Ava felt the blood drain from her face. She whirled around and scanned the passage, but it was empty.

Click-click. 

45. A Face In The Crowd.

She couldn’t have deboarded yet! The doors had only opened seconds ago! Ava stared out over the crowd swimming through the Paris train station.

Abe came running after her, and handed her the bag she’d left behind. She barely noticed him, so fervently was she scanning the hair color of everyone she could see. “You’re welcome,” he said, mostly to himself.

"There!” she cried, startling the passengers nearest her. A woman with long, extraordinarily bright red hair was walking coolly towards the exits. “I remember her sitting near us! Before I fell asleep!”

Ava lunged forward through the crowd, but Abe grabbed her by the elbow to hold her back. “We can’t attract too much attention,” he hissed. Ava nodded and they moved as urgently as subtlety would allow, but the redheaded woman was getting closer to the door.

Ava didn’t want to think about what they’d do if she made it out into the Paris streets before they did; the city was full of taxis to hide in. She swore loudly at the thought and broke into a sprint. 

Read Chapter 46: Alone In The Shadows