with any luck no one would be the wiser. She took a deep breath and pulled the door open to find the hall deserted. Straightening her shoulders, she turned to the left and headed down the corridor. Heavy footfalls sounded, and Kenzie veered to the first door she saw, like that had been her destination all along.
A small control unit sat to the right of the door. She yanked out the security card and swiped it along the device. Holding her breath, she waited. The light turned green, and she pushed open the door, shoving it shut behind her. Panting, she threw herself against the steel and held her breath. Only after the stomping feet ran past did she exhale. The air soured, and she gagged. Her hand reached up to cover her nose and mouth. Sweat beaded across her brow. It must have been over one hundred degrees in the small room. She turned her head to look around and froze.
A pile dead bodies had been tossed on top of one another, simply discarded, like a human life meant nothing. Men’s and women’s faces were frozen in masks of agony. She shook her head; there had to be at least fifty people tossed in here like garbage. Was Ava in this room, buried under a mountain of people who shared her fate? A sob tore from her chest. Jesus.
In the corner of the room, an iron door marked an incinerator that explained why it was hot as hades in the room. A whisper sounded to her right, and she peered down the section of wall. Cages looking like something you’d find in an animal-testing facility were bracketed in place. She bit back the urge to ask who was there.
Peering down the aisle, she saw nothing. Another noise skated in the air. Small. Subtle, like fabric rubbing together. Something was down there. She wiped her sweaty palms on the jacket and reminded herself to act as if she belonged. She walked down the passageway and stilled. Her breath caught, and tears prickled in her eyes. The very end cage on the bottom row held a little girl, no more than six, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She curled into a ball, her head buried into her knees, and her shoulders silently shook.
Kenzie realized the small noises were the tiny sobs of the child, a petite little thing dressed in a filthy nightgown. Rage pulsed through her veins like liquid magma. She rushed toward the cage, and the girl’s head shot up, her blond curls mattered around her horror-stricken face. The child shook her head and cried louder. “I promise I’ll be good. I want my mommy.”
Those sick sons of a bitches were going to pay. Kenzie swallowed down her emotions and held out her palms. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She glanced at the lock on the door. “I’m going to try and get you out of here, okay? Then we can try and find your mom.”
The child’s wide eyes stared at Kenzie, unblinking. She bit her lip as if gauging whether she could trust Kenzie. Talking low and gentle, Kenzie said, “My name is Mackenzie, but everyone calls me Kenzie. What’s your name?”
The child’s bottom lip trembled, and Kenzie could tell she wanted to trust her but fear held her back. The little girl gave her a once-over. “Are you a doctor?”
Kenzie grimaced. “Not exactly.” She shook her head and Kenzie chose her words carefully. “I’m just like you. I’m trying to get out of this place.”
“Why are you wearing a doctor coat?”
Right. No wonder the child had the fear of God shining in her eyes. “You know how I said I’m trying to get outta here too? Well, I’m pretending I work here so no one notices what I’m doing.”
The little girl took a shuddering breath, whispering, “My name is Milly.”
“Milly,” Kenzie echoed. “What a pretty name. How about we get you out of there, huh?”
“And find my mommy and daddy?”
Kenzie eyes widened, and she nodded. These people held both of her parents. She’d known she was dealing with monsters, but finding a kid in a cage was a new kind of low, even for Delmac. If there was a way, she would help reunite Milly with her parents. “I’ll do my best.”
Milly’s small hand swiped at the tears, smudging dirt over the few freckles across her nose. A horrible thought popped into Kenzie’s head. What if her parents were already in the room, somewhere