To the left—
Crumpled shipping containers.
Twisted rebar.
Jagged shadows stretching across the floor.
To the right—
A rusted catwalk leading to a second level.
The silence was wrong.
Like the building itself was holding its breath.
I moved forward.
Gun steady.
Eyes sweeping every corner.
Every shadow.
Every possible threat.
My heart hammered against my ribs—
But my hands stayed steady.
Because now—
There was only one thing that mattered.
Finding her.
Before it was too late.
Then I heard faint footsteps above me.
Voices followed—low at first, then clearer.
Laughter.
The kind that came from men who believed they were safe. Untouchable. Comfortable in their filth.
I moved.
Slowly.
Boots pressed lightly against the metal grating of the stairs.
Each step measured.
No wasted noise. No warning.
At the top, I paused just before the landing.
A door stood half-open.
