Chapter 4 - The Code Blue
I screamed Lily's name and sprinted past the triage desk.
Two security guards stepped forward to block my path, but I shoved past them.
I burst through the swinging double doors into the emergency treatment area.
The long hallway was completely empty, with sterile white walls stretching in both directions.
I frantically checked every single curtained cubicle and exam room.
None of the patients were my terrified little niece.
Emma ran up behind me, clutching the hem of my shirt tightly.
She pointed toward a heavy metal door at the end of the corridor marked for staff only.
I ran to the door and pulled the handle, but it was firmly locked.
Suddenly, the hospital's overhead speaker system crackled to life.
A calm, robotic voice announced a Code Blue in the basement levels.
I knew the basement housed the maintenance tunnels and the morgue.
I spotted a laundry chute built into the wall just a few feet away.
I grabbed a nearby metal IV pole and smashed the lock off the chute's heavy metal hatch.
I told Emma to hide inside a nearby supply closet and lock it from the inside.
I promised her I would be right back with Lily.
I climbed into the dark, slippery aluminum tube and let myself slide downward.
I plunged into total darkness, tumbling into a massive bin of soiled hospital linens.
I scrambled out of the cart, coughing from the smell of bleach and damp cloth.
The basement corridor was dimly lit and eerily silent.
I crept down the hallway, my bare feet silent against the cold concrete floor.
I heard the faint sound of a woman talking in a hushed, urgent tone.
I peeked around the corner and saw the fake nurse in the blue scrubs.
She was standing near the loading dock doors, handing Lily over to someone else.
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The person taking Lily stepped out of the shadows.
It was my sister, Sarah.
