“I wonder what’s down there.” Bryce said as he put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath after he lifted the plank. The words of Kathleen registered in his mind, and he didn’t object to it, letting his body recover from the strenuous activity he just performed. He saw her start to head down the stairs and got himself ready to head down as well, but was stopped by the sudden closing of the hatch.<br/><br/>“Shit!” Bryce said, falling back. Any closer and his leg probably would have been caught inside the hatch. He sat there taking everything in for only a few seconds, but it seemed like an entire minute. Finally, it hit him. He rushed over to the hatch and pulled it open once more. It was a lot easier this time since there was a sudden rush of adrenaline.<br/><br/>There was nothing but darkness as Kathleen had somehow disappeared from the staircase. He was wondering what could have happened to her. “Kathleen!” He shouted down. The only thing that responded was the echo of his voice. “Even if she fell, she should still be at the bottom of the stairs... Looks like I’m going to have to get her.” Bryce sighed as he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a lighter. He never really used it much. Only when a woman asked him for a light, despite the fact that he didn’t smoke himself.<br/><br/>Bryce grabbed his bag and the girl’s bag (if she left it), about to head down, when he heard the sound of talking outside the door of the nursery. For a moment, he thought about checking it out, but knew that he’d be wasting time if Kathleen was really in trouble. “Fuck…” Bryce mumbled as he flicked the lighter on before walking down the stairs. It was a bit odd, but he was somewhat enjoying the anticipation of the experience.<br/>