Chapter 3 - The Secret in the Gauze
Panic clawed at my throat as I rattled the unyielding doorknob.
The deadbolt was engaged, but the interior latch was missing entirely.
We were trapped inside what was supposed to be a safe family home.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway behind me.
I spun around, pressing my back against the locked door and shielding my niece.
It was my brother, his chest heaving, his knuckles bruised.
He saw the broken lock and slammed his fist against the wood in frustration.
From the living room, the aunt's voice echoed with a frantic, unhinged edge.
She yelled that they didn't want to hurt the baby.
She said they only needed what was hidden inside the surgical dressing.
My brother froze, looking down at the bloody towel I held over his daughter's stomach.
He asked me in a whisper to lift the edge of the towel.
I hesitated, terrified of hurting the little girl any further.
Carefully, I peeled back the damp terrycloth and looked at the disturbed medical tape.
The grandmother had torn the top layer away before I intervened.
A small, hard edge of black plastic protruded from beneath the sterile white padding.
It wasn't a medical drain or a stint.
It looked exactly like a waterproof micro-USB drive.
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Before we could process what this meant, the lights in the house abruptly shut off.
We were plunged into total darkness.
