Me and my friend, Marziana, are exploring an abandoned structure. The press has reported sightings of an unusual creature around this structure. We didn’t find it upon inspecting the surface level of the structure, so we have no choice but to find a way into the interior levels.
Marziana finds a hole in a room’s floor that leads into deeper levels. We go in.
Half an hour later, our search remains fruitless. We’re about to move onto the next floor when Marziana poses an idea.
Marziana: “Let’s split up. You search the next floor, I’ll search the floor below that. If that creature spots you, just scream and make for the hole that we came in through.“
Me: “Alright.“
While I’m checking out a side room, I feel like I can hear footsteps. I close the door, remain dead silent & look through the gap. I see nothing.
A few minutes later, I hear Marziana shout from downstairs.
Marziana: “[My Name]! Come down here!“
I don’t respond. I could’ve sworn I heard the creature’s footsteps. The timing, the timing . . .
A few minutes later, I slowly open the door. I shout back:
Me: “Coming!“
I go downstairs. Logically, Marziana would be waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. But she isn’t there. The next logical answer is that she made a discovery & is waiting for me there. I’m not going to risk getting heard by the creature, so I don’t shout again. Instead, I start searching this floor for her . . .