Chapter 2
The painting swung inward like a door.
A draft of cold, stale air hit my face.
Darkness waited on the other side.
I fumbled for my phone and turned on the light.
A narrow staircase led down.
The crying started again—closer now.
“Help… please…”
I stepped down one stair.
Then another.
My heart hammered so hard I thought I’d faint.
At the bottom was a small, damp room.
No window.
Just concrete walls.
And there on the floor, wrapped in a thin blanket, was Ethan.
His face was pale.
His eyes were swollen shut.
He looked like he hadn’t eaten properly in days.
“Ethan!” I whispered.
I ran to him.
His eyes fluttered open.
“Emma… you found me…”
He sobbed and clung to my uniform.
“She locked me in.
She said no one would ever find me.
She said I’d disappear just like my mom.”
My stomach twisted into knots.
I pulled him close.
“I’ve got you.
I’m getting you out of here.”
I helped him stand.
He could barely walk.
I put his arm around my shoulder.
We started up the stairs.
Then I heard footsteps above us.
Slow.
Deliberate.
May you like
Isabella’s voice floated down.
“Going somewhere, Emma?”
