Page 19 of Ravage

"Here," Grey replies, reaching into his hoodie pocket. "I brought toys."

I smirk as he pulls out some hand-crafted knives, taking one from him. He looks down at one of them, his expression unreadable behind the mask before he grips the handle tightly in his palm.

Ashwood plucks one from his other hand, twirling it curiously. "I don't need a weapon. I am a weapon."

"Consider it a gift then," Grey murmurs, letting his hand fall to his side, the knife dangling toward the ground.

I swipe the card, punching in the code. "Leighton and I will head north. You guys head south. We're going in blind and with no way to contact each other, so just do the best you can. Once you find her, get her upstairs as soon as you can. I left my room unlocked."

Our footsteps echo down the stairwell, pace quickly gaining momentum. As soon as we reach the basement level, we immediately separate. I don't bother to glance back as Grey and Ashwood take off, my eyes focused on the corridor ahead. I listen closely for sounds, blade in my hand, as I move swiftly.

Leighton stays to my left, matching my movements as we make our way to the other side of Lilydale. It's been months since I've been this far, but I remember it well.

Little drops of water ricochet off the ground from leaking pipes, and my breathing slows when we reach the north end. I spot the familiar double doors ahead, motioning them to Leighton. He nods, repositioning his knife in his grip as we slow down.

This is it. Either there's people on the other side or it's empty.

I swallow, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of potential failure. There's no room for failure here.

"Deadman," Leighton whispers, pointing to the ceiling. "The lights are off."

Glancing up, my heart races as I notice he's correct—the cameras are offline. Byrone and Jillian must have somehow managed to get access. We're temporarily hidden. This is our only chance. They will have been alerted to the switch, probably already frantically trying to gain control again to find us.

Gripping the key card, I quickly swipe it, hitting the code into the pad. The light on the door flashes green, and I shove my weight against the metal, pushing it forward.

Bright lights blind us as we adjust to the new setting as we leave the dark corridors behind us. It reeks of chemicals and metal, and immediately, I know we've found it.

Except…

It's quiet.

I was waiting for guards and doctors at the door. The entrance is empty, silent.

Slowly, I walk in, glancing around. My eyes instantly spot a broken window along the wall, tape plastered over it to hold it together.

Approaching a desk, I head around to check underneath, finding no signs of life.

Leighton heads to the left, cautiously strolling down the hall as we stare at locked rooms.

"There's no one here," he whispers. "Maybe it's a decoy."

Ruffling through paperwork on the desk, I search through documents until I spot something.

"Here," I murmur, paper crinkling as I yank it toward my face. "Avery's name is on this."

He turns, eyebrows raised as he rushes over. "What does it say?"

"Not much," I grumble, shaking my head. "Just EEG results that I can't fucking decipher. Start checking the rooms."

Crossing the corridor to the nearest door, I swipe my card, shoving open the door.

Empty.

I go to the next room and repeat.

Still empty.

By the fourth room, I'm getting edgy, annoyed that no one is inside. When I swing open the next door, I'm suddenly taken aback by matted hair in the corner, a body hunched up in a ball.

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