Chapter 4 - The Hidden Asylum
I asked Lily to describe the white building where Nora had kept them.
She talked about tall iron gates, a red front door, and nurses wearing gray uniforms.
I knew exactly what place she was talking about.
It was Blackwood Sanatorium, an abandoned psychiatric facility that Marcus had purchased a year ago.
He claimed it was going to be a new charity hospital for the city.
Instead, it was his own private prison.
I left Lily safely hidden in the motel room with strict instructions not to open the door for anyone.
I drove to the sanatorium under the cover of the stormy night.
The facility looked completely deserted from the outside, but I noticed luxury cars parked behind the gates.
I picked the lock on the rusted service entrance and slipped into the dark, echoing hallways.
The air smelled like strong bleach and decaying wood.
I crept past two armed guards who were playing cards in the former cafeteria.
I finally found the main records room and began searching the dusty filing cabinets.
I pulled open a drawer labeled for high-risk patients.
There was a fresh folder inside designated simply as "Patient 404".
I opened the file and saw a recent, horrifying photograph of Amelia.
She looked dangerously thin, her eyes vacant from heavy sedatives.
But what truly terrified me was the medical transfer form attached to the back of the photo.
It stated that Patient 404 was scheduled to be permanently disposed of before midnight.
I checked my watch and realized it was currently eleven-thirty.
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Suddenly, the heavy metal door of the records room slammed shut behind me.
I spun around to see Marcus standing in the doorway with a suppressed pistol aimed at my chest.
