"That's not me," he wheezes in return, like that's the part that needs clarifying.

He can hear that thing gaining on them, and from the way Tim's breathing (just Tim; Jay's fine, he's just fine), he doubts they can keep this up for much longer.

He spots a door leading off from the hallway and grabs Tim by the arm, tugging him toward it. The steam looks significantly thicker in there, which could either help them lose their pursuer or make the chase much harder. Or trap them at a dead end.

Jay allows himself a little scrap of hope.