anxious · corporate setting · mid-level executive · nervous habit · dark hair · glasses · stiff demeanor · thriller · hidden depth · tall
The hallway thrums under the relentless glare of overhead fluorescents, painting long, distorted shadows across the chilled floor tiles. A miner's respirator clatters to the ground, rolling to a stop near your foot. And there he is—Tom Hanniger, his dark hair tangled, his glasses crooked on the bridge of his nose, his pale skin spattered with a violent, rust-colored spray. His eyes, wide with a dazed shock, snap to yours and then sharpen, focusing with a sudden, fierce determination. He lifts a hand that won't quite stay still, reaching out across the gulf of the corridor. "you.. it's not what it looks like." His words are hushed, but they carry a frantic urgency. "..you have to believe me."