Something penetrates the back of my mind. It’s an uneasy feeling. I close my eyes and listen. It’s a humming sound. Danielle notices me concentrating.

“Do you hear that?” I ask. I walk toward the source of the sound and end up standing next to the side wall of the building.

“Something outside?” she asks.

I shake my head. There is nothing on the other side of this wall except piles of junk. I look up at the air vent. Faint light streams from outside. It’s supposed to just be a wall, but what if it’s not?

I touch the metal surface. There’s the faint echo of a chamber. There’s something inside. I think he’s built an entire passage here. I walk along the wall trying to find a gap.

“Two minutes,” says Ailes.

“GO!” I shout to Danielle and Shannon. We still have to make it out of the yard.

Shannon grabs his kit and they take off running for the exit. I can’t let this go! I keep trying to find the secret passage. The wall doesn’t want to give up its secret.

Danielle and Shannon reach the door and slide underneath. They look back at me from the gap. I’m not going to make it.

“Ailes, how long before you can pull this trick again? I’m not going to make it out before the cameras turn on!”

“What? Hold on. Twelve hours at the earliest. That’s how often his backups sync. But if you’re in there he’ll see you.”

“Only if I move.”

Across the warehouse Danielle nods to me. She understands. The only way we can keep our discovery a secret is if they close the door and make it out of the yard while I stay here.

I shut off my flashlight and watch the crack of light from the open door fade as they lower it back down and run back to the front of the property.

“I’m going to shut off my phone so the battery will last,” I tell Ailes.

“Understood.”

I reach into my pocket and power it down. There’s a whir and a clicking sound inside the warehouse as the systems come back online. I can see the red lights of surveillance cameras twinkle on in the dark ceiling like red stars.

I take the first of what will be several low and shallow breaths to avoid setting off the motion sensors. I sit here in the dark alone and wait.

Somewhere at the other end of the darkness I imagine the little girl from the theater looking back at me.

50

SPENDING TWELVE HOURS by yourself in the dark without moving is difficult. If my head moves or my arm twitches, the motion sensors will catch it. The Warlock will get a text notification on his phone and a live feed will show him what the infrared cameras are seeing: me sitting here by myself.

If he sees me here it will burn this location at the very least. He won’t come back and we won’t be able to nail him.