Behind him, the first step had vanished.
Mateo hesitated. The stone in his hand pulsed with a faint, feverish heat. He thought of his mother’s face before the machines—how she’d laughed when he fell learning to ride a bike, how she’d held him after nightmares. How she’d whispered, “Mi cielo, my sky.” escalera al cielo capitulo 1
He pointed down. Between the steps, Mateo saw them now: fingers. Hundreds of pale, grasping fingers reaching through the gaps, straining toward his ankles. Behind him, the first step had vanished
“Who are you?” Mateo whispered.
“Don’t listen to the echoes,” a new voice said. grasping fingers reaching through the gaps