Chapter 2 - The Midnight Escape
The industrial corridors of Briar Glen were a labyrinth of stainless-steel carts, flickering fluorescent lights, and the distant hum of ventilation systems. Every shadow looked like a security guard; every distant squeak of rubber soles sounded like Nathan and his mother closing in.
“Keep your head down,” Mae instructed in a low, sharp whisper, pushing open a heavy fire door labeled Authorized Personnel Only.
A blast of cold, damp air hit them as they stepped out onto the concrete loading dock. Snow was beginning to fall again, dusting the asphalt with a fine white powder. A rusted gray sedan idled near the dumpsters, its exhaust pluming in the freezing night air.
“Get in the back,” Mae said, popping the rear door open.
Just as Leah slid into the backseat, clutching her baby like fragile glass, the sound of shouting echoed from the double doors they had just exited.
“Security! Code pink in the east wing! The patient has fled!”
It was Doreen’s voice—shrill, furious, and echoing off the concrete walls.
Mae didn’t panic. She slammed the back door, scrambled into the driver’s seat, threw the sedan into reverse, and tore out of the loading bay just as two security guards burst through the doors shouting commands.
Leah looked down at her son in the dim light of the dashboard. He opened his tiny eyes, blinking against the ambient glow, and let out a soft, healthy cry.
“You’re safe,” Leah whispered, pressing her lips to his forehead. “Mommy’s got you. No one is ever taking you away.”
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She turned to Mae, who was gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. “Mae... why are you doing this? You’re risking your career, your freedom—everything.”
Mae looked in the rearview mirror, her eyes dark with a memory she had carried for years. “Because twenty years ago, Doreen Carver pulled the exact same stunt on my sister. Declared her unstable, took her child, and buried her in legal red tape until my sister lost her mind entirely. I promised myself if I ever got the chance to watch that monster fall, I’d take it. But we can't go to the police in Columbus, Leah. Doreen owns the local precinct. We need to go off the grid.”
