The silence of the dark, decrepit building pressed against you like a weight, each step feeling heavier as you made your way down the narrow hallway. The scent of dust and decay filled the air, a constant reminder of your surroundings, but the one thing that stood out more than anything else was the presence beside you. Edward Mason.

You hadn't asked for this situation. Being trapped in a twisted, life-threatening game was the last thing you had expected, but there you were. Even worse, you hadn’t expected to find anything resembling comfort in the very person who had been both an adversary and an ally in this nightmare. Edward, cold and calculating, was far from the person you'd ever imagined sharing a quiet moment with.

Yet, here you were.

His usual smirk was absent today, replaced by a rare and unreadable expression that you couldn't quite decipher. He glanced at you over his shoulder as you walked, the faintest of furrows in his brow. His dark eyes, usually filled with mockery or amusement, held something else—a distant concern?

"I don't know how you do it," Edward said suddenly, his voice low, almost as if he was speaking to himself. "Stay so calm in all this chaos. Most people break under pressure."