Page 97 of Girl Lost

She lagged behind, pale and shaky, her hand pressed to her chest with each labored breath.

“Trinity, are you okay?” Luna reached out, touching the girl’s arm, needing the reassurance of that physical connection.

“I’m perfect. Just ... detoxing. Let’s find our friend.” Trinity squeezed Luna’s hand with a surprisingly strong grip. “He needs us.”

They rounded a corner. Summer glanced over her shoulder. “This is the access corridor to the secure wing. It should be just a few more doors down.”

A metal door blocked the end of the hallway. Summer swiped a key card on the pad, and Luna heard a beep. The red LEDs above the keypad blinked erratically before turning a reassuring green. A section of the wall hissed, sliding to the side to reveal a narrow opening that led into a dimly lit tunnel.

“It’s a service corridor.” Summer motioned them through.

The air inside was cold, damp. The stench of bleach and something ... metallic ... made her stomach churn.

Ahead, two electric carts, their white paint chipped and scratched, sat side by side. Summer gave one of them a little kick. “Just what we need.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Trinity practically collapsed into the passenger seat.

Summer slid behind the steering wheel and looked at Luna. “Ready?”

Luna took the empty seat, the cushioned vinyl giving way with a swish of air. “Let’s do this.”

Summer keyed the ignition. Nothing happened.

“You sure this thing works?” Luna asked.

Summer pressed the pedal, and the cart lurched forward, whirring to life. “Just like a golf cart.” She took it slow at first, then picked up speed.

The walls of the tunnel were bare concrete, stained with damp patches that gleamed in the cart’s headlight beams. Luna had her head on a swivel, scanning every shadow.

“It’s like that movie,” Summer said. “The one with the girl who gets hunted in that abandoned hospital?”

“Quiet,” Luna whispered. The darkness pressed in, amplifying her every sense. Every drip of water from the pipes overhead, every rustle in the darkness, sounded like a footstep, a whisper, a threat.

They rounded a bend, the tunnel opening into a wider space.Ahead, a set of double doors. A keypad glowed beside the right door.

Summer eased the cart to a stop. “End of the line.”

“Stay close,” Luna said, “but behind me. I’ll open the door and make sure it’s safe.”

“Here.” Summer handed Luna the key card. “We should have access anywhere Dr. Forest does.”

Luna swiped the key card through the slot, her hand hovering over the door handle. The lock disengaged with a soft click. She pushed the doors open, revealing another sterile white corridor, this one lined with closed doors.

Empty. No guards. No cameras that she could see, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

Luna’s heart pounded. They were close now. So close. She just hoped they hadn’t come too late.

She motioned for Summer and Trinity to follow, her eyes darting around the corridor, scanning for threats.

“Where are we?” Trinity whispered, her hand resting on Summer’s arm.

“I think this is the patient observation area.” Summer pointed toward a glass-enclosed nurses’ station, its counter a jumble of charts, syringes, and half-empty coffee cups. The high stools were empty. The silence ominous.

Trinity’s hand went to her chest, her breath catching. “This ... this is familiar.”

Luna’s stomach clenched. She knew exactly what Trinity meant. This was the dark, sterile room where she’d been held captive, subjected to Dr. Forest’s experiments.

They crept down the hallway. One-way mirrors allowed her a quick glance inside each patient room. Empty. Empty. Empty.