Seth hears voices

As Seth passed the second set of doors, he began to hear faint, spidery whispering. He glanced back at Coulter. "Do you hear that?"

  "The silence can play tricks on your ears," Coulter replied.

  "No. Don't you hear voices whispering gibberish?"

  Coulter paused. "All I hear is the torch crackling. It's quiet as a tomb. Are you squirreling around with me? We're falling behind. "

  They picked up their pace, catching up to Kendra. Seth concentrated on the babbling whispers. As he focused, he began to catch words.

  "Alone. . . thirsty. . . pain. . . hunger. . . agony. . . mercy. . . thirst. "

  The words were tangled, many voices overlapping. When his concentration lapsed, the sounds reverted to gibbering nonsense.

Chapter 9