Rick wasn't about to let a post like that hang without finding out what was going on. He knew how to move quietly and he certainly knew how to listen at doors and at the end of hallways. Now he could do it without being seen unless he chose. It was a skill he had put to good use recently. Any skill was nothing until it was practiced, and Rick knew how to practice a skill, too. This one was physical as any other, and when he used it too much, it tired him.
He wasn't tired now. He came back through a slight chill into visibility (he'd practiced with mirrors), and stepped around the corner just as she stepped on the stair. He didn't want to scare her unnecessarily. "James!"