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“I have no idea,” he murmurs, reading a few more of the plaques. “I’ve never heard of any of these institutions…here’s one for…the highest IQ in the world…” He scoffs, as baffled as me.

“That’s ridiculous,” Rose says, snapping a picture of it. “They don’t give awards for that.”

“These look like the kinds of things Jude would make as a kid at Midwinter and give out to the family as a joke. Except they’rereallyhigh quality…”

“And I don’t think Slaken was kidding,” I whisper, grimacing. Slaken did he…make all these up?

“This is so creepy,” Rose whispers. “God, my article is going to beamazing.”

“Come on,” Cole says, looking around the room in disgust. “Let’s get out of here - we have lots more to cover.”

Rose and I follow Cole, moving through the rest of the upper floors, but my stomach twists with anxiety when I realize that all of the rest of the rooms up here just have…beds.

And I don’t mean that they’re bedrooms – there are no dressers, or bookshelves, or vanities, or toys. Not even anything on the walls. Just…rooms with beds. Nearly a dozen of them.

Why…why the fuck does he need so many beds?

“Come on,” Cole murmurs, putting an arm around my shoulders and turning me away from the last one as Rose leans in to take just one picture. For once, I don’t shy away from Cole, wanting his warmth. This place is…god, I don’t know how to describe it. Soulless? Empty? Just…devoid of life?

Horrible. Whatever it is, it’s horrible. I shiver as we walk down the stairs, following Rose. Cole tightens his arm.

When we hit the ground floor, I head for the entrance, eager to get out, but Cole clears his throat. I turn back to him. “There’s a basement.”

My stomach sinks even further at that. I didn’t think it could get any lower.

“You can wait outside with Shay and –“

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I want to see.”

Rose waits patiently a few feet away, watching me with neither sympathy nor judgment, which I appreciate.

“All right,” Cole says, looking me over for a moment before we all turn together toward the door at the bottom of the stairs, passing through it and starting down the steps.

Halfway down, Cole slips something out of his pocket and presses a button, producing a very bright little light and handing it to me. My eyebrows rise for a moment at the adorable mini flashlight, but I hold it high above us so that we can all benefit from the light.

But as we move lower to the packed dirt floor, I –

Honestly, I wish I couldn’t see even what little I can.

“Holy shit,” Rose whispers, turning in a slow circle, looking around. She doesn’t even take pictures, too captivated. “This is –“

“Pictures, Rose,” Cole says, his voice low and tight. “Let’s go.”

“Why?” I whisper, looking up at him. “What’s wrong?”

He doesn’t answer me.

Rose moves fast, heading first to the left, where she takes a few quick snaps of what food supplies are left down here. Mostly tinned goods that look very old. I squint at the labels, recognizing the brands but realizing that the advertising is from a couple of years ago.

But I ignore that, watching closely as Rose moves to the other side of the room, which I can barely see with my light. But there – the flash of her camera lights it up more completely.

And reveals…

“Don’t look,” Cole murmurs, slipping an arm around my waist, pulling me back against him. “Nadia –“

“What the fuck,” I whisper.

He tries to raise a hand, wanting to cover my eyes, but I shove his arm away, needing to see it.