Emily pulled the car over and killed the engine a full block away from the address she’d been given.  In the pallid light cast by the single remaining streetlight, she could just make out the small dilapidated building, hunkering back in the shadows in the persistent rain as if waiting for their arrival.  It had been a startlingly short drive, only a few blocks, and she could better understand how Markus had ended up at their house.

Emily: “I thought it’d be smarter if parked here and walked the rest of the way; Oliver isn’t exactly the stealthiest car on the road.  Are you sure you can get in?”

Jacob fixed her with an impatient stare.

Emily: “Right.  It’s just the nerves talking.  I don’t suppose you feel fear.”

Emily was startled as he quickly dropped his gaze and worked at unfastening his seatbelt before slipping out of the car without a sound.  The thought that he could be at all afraid didn’t do much to ease her own highly-strung nerves.

She quickly got out of the driver’s seat, wincing at the loud report of her door hinge as she closed it.  To her ears, it sounded nothing short of a gunshot in the quiet of the street.  With her heart set on exiting from her chest at the earliest possible time, she joined Jacob on the side walk where he was staring fixedly at their destination.

Emily: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply--”

Jacob: “Be quiet.”
Emily: “What?”

Jacob turned around to face her so quickly that if she’d been blinking, she’d have missed the movement.

Jacob: “Stop talking.  I can’t concentrate.”

Emily: “Sorry.”

Emily waited as patiently as possible as Jacob turned back toward the house.  She did her best to concentrate on breathing, trying to get herself under control.  It wouldn’t do anyone any good if she got herself hurt or killed because she was nervous and made a stupid mistake. 

By the time he motioned for her to follow, she felt at least moderately back in control.

Much to her surprise, he walked openly down the sidewalk rather than creeping into the alleyway as she would have done.  As they drew closer to the house, she began to wonder if he was just going to go up and ring the front doorbell.  When they continued walking past the driveway without slowing down, her curiosity replaced whatever nervousness she had left.

Just as they’d made it around the far side of the building, she suddenly found herself grabbed by the waist and carried into a covering of tall weeds and grasses directly against the wall.  She didn’t have a chance to be startled, being pulled unceremoniously to a crouch before being released. 

Jacob: “He’s upstairs.”
Emily: “You can sense that?”

A flicker of confusion danced across Jacob’s features before he gave her an odd look.

Jacob: “I saw him walk past the window.”

Emily: “Oh.  Right.  Which way do you think we should go in?  Markus mentioned a back door, and there’s also the front door.  I assume we’ll want to avoid that one.”

Jacob: “There’s a side door, behind a pile of tires.”

Emily nodded, though she hadn’t seen the door herself.  She had to trust in his ability to get her into the house as quickly and quietly as possible.  After that, it was up to her to do the talking.

In a heartbeat, he was once again moving forward, quiet as a shadow.  She followed, as closely and quietly as possible, as he first darted across the driveway before weaving through discarded car parts and various piles of trash.  After only a few seconds, they were in front of a door which, while dented and rusty, still looked formidable enough to keep them out.  Emily didn’t dare even breathe while Jacob worked soundlessly at the locks.

Within just a few short seconds, the door swung open silently into a dingy, cramped room.

She followed him through the door, only pausing long enough to glance around the chaotic living room and grimy, disused kitchen.  At the foot of the stairs he turned and locked his eyes on her own.  Without a word, he let her take the lead while simultaneously warning her to utter silence.