We gathered at the lock, Adam’s shoulder brushing mine as he leaned in. His voice was barely a breath. “Ready?”
I swallowed hard, tightening my grip on the pistol.
“Always,” I whispered.
Blade’s tool sparked once, then clicked. The lock gave.
The door swung open with a soft hiss of released air.
Cold. Sterile. Silent.
And waiting in the shadows beyond—rows of stainless steel tables. Machines humming low. The faint, steady beeping of monitors.
I stepped in, my heart pounding, and knew instantly—
We’d just opened another layer of hell.
90
Raine
The room swallowed me whole.
Cold air pressed against my skin, heavy with antiseptic and something faintly coppery beneath it. The overhead lights buzzed, casting a sterile glow over rows of stainless steel tables. Machines hummed low, their monitors pulsing with faint green lines.
At first, I thought the tables were empty. Then I saw the restraints. Leather straps, buckles, IV lines dangling loose like snakes.
My chest tightened, bile climbing sharp in my throat.
One table wasn’t empty.
A man lay strapped down, his chest rising shallowly, skin waxy pale. His head lolled to one side, a line of tape holding the IV in place. Another machine beeped steadily, cycling fluid through clear tubing that disappeared into his arm.
“Dear God,” I whispered.
Adam’s hand closed firm on my shoulder, grounding me. His voice was low steel. “Check vitals.”
I forced myself closer, my hands trembling as I pressed fingers to the man’s wrist. A faint flutter answered, weak but alive.
“Pulse,” I said, my voice shaking. “He’s alive.”
Blade moved deeper into the room, knife flashing as he slit open another strap. Hawk swept the far side, his rifle steady as his eyes scanned every shadow.
Russ’s voice came quiet through comms.“Multiple signatures on thermal. Three west hall, unmoving. Could be restrained as well.”
I pressed my free hand to the man’s forehead. He stirred faintly, a sound escaping his throat—half-moan, half-plea.
“They’re keeping them sedated,” I murmured, horror digging deeper with every second. “Not gone. Not yet. Just… waiting.”
For what, I didn’t say.
But the answer burned hot in my chest anyway.
Organs.
Pieces.
The ridge. The truck. The clinic. It all led here.
