Chapter 2: The Man in the Hallway
The hospital floor fell into darkness.
Claire’s heart slammed against her ribs as nurses shouted somewhere down the corridor.
Noah instantly grabbed the dog tightly.
“He found us,” the boy whispered.
The emergency backup lights flickered red overhead.
Claire rushed to the door and opened it slightly.
A tall man in a black raincoat stood at the far end of the hallway.
Watching the room.
Completely still.
Then he smiled.
Claire immediately slammed the door shut and locked it.
“Who is that?” she demanded.
Noah’s face had gone pale.
“He worked for the people who took me.”
The words hit like ice water.
Claire grabbed her phone to call security, but there was no signal.
The hallway outside remained silent.
Too silent.
Then—
slow footsteps approached the room.
One step at a time.
The dog began growling low in its throat.
Claire backed away from the door.
The footsteps stopped directly outside.
A soft knock followed.
“Claire,” a man’s voice said calmly. “Open the door.”
Her blood froze.
She never told Noah her name.
Neither had the doctors.
“How do you know who I am?” she shouted.
Silence.
Then the voice answered softly:
“Because your brother asked us to find you before he died.”
Claire stopped breathing.
Noah suddenly shook his head violently.
“He’s lying!”
The doorknob slowly began turning.
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And somewhere downstairs—
the hospital fire alarm exploded into chaos.
