He let her lead him inside and through the empty building. The silence was strange in a place like that, a place that should have been full of busy people moving and breathing and doing things. Kim’s steps echoed faintly, but he noticed with surprise that his did not. He had never been able to walk noiselessly before, not fighting constantly against his bad balance, but his movements now were smooth and certain. Perhaps that was a good thing, evidence that he was in better shape than he had been for a long time. Perhaps it was evidence that his fears were well-founded.
The elevator took them up to the third floor and opened with a cheerful ping. Violent death swirled through the doors like a cloud of noxious gas, and Lenny fell back, gagged. It had stained the place, the walls and the car
