Chapter 7 - THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY
Three days passed in absolute darkness.
Every eight hours, a heavy steel slot in the door opened to slide a tray of cold food inside.
Elena refused to touch the food, fearing more sedatives were mixed into the broth.
Her strength was fading rapidly.
Her skin grew pale and her weight plummeted.
On the midnight of the fourth day, the electronic lock on Cell 402 chimed softly.
The heavy steel door swung open without a sound.
A figure dressed in an orderly’s uniform stepped into the dark room.
The person pulled off their surgical mask, revealing a sharp, familiar face.
It was not Marcus Kane.
It was the waitress from the motorcycle diner—the 45-year-old woman with short hair and sharp, suspicious eyes.
Elena scrambled back into the corner of her bed, her heart pounding against her ribs.
"Who are you?" Elena whispered cautiously.
"Shh," the woman hissed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a set of brass keys.
"If the night guards catch us, neither of us leaves this basement alive."
She quickly began unlocking the heavy leather straps around Elena’s wrists.
"Why are you helping me?" Elena asked, rubbing her bruised, bloodless wrists.
"My name is Sarah," the woman whispered while working on the ankle restraints.
"Twenty-five years ago, I was the head nurse at St. Jude Hospital."
Elena’s eyes widened in shock.
"You were there?"
"I was the one who handed Victoria Vance her adopted child after her real baby died," Sarah said, her voice trembling with decades of guilt.
"I took a massive bribe from her to stay quiet."
"I used that money to buy my diner."
"I thought I could live with the secret, but then I saw what she did to you and that poor boy in my diner."
Elena stood up, but her weak legs buckled under her.
Sarah caught her by the arms, supporting her weight.
"Where is Lily?" Elena demanded desperately.
"Victoria has her at the mountain lodge outside the city," Sarah revealed.
"She’s preparing to fly the child to Switzerland tomorrow morning."
"Once Lily leaves the country, you will never get her back."
"We have to go now," Sarah urged, handing Elena a dark jacket and a pair of sneakers.
They crept out into the dark, silent corridor of the asylum.
As they reached the fire exit, an alarm suddenly blared across the entire facility.
Red warning lights flashed against the walls.
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"PATIENT IN CELL 402 HAS ESCAPED," a loudspeaker boomed.
"LOCK DOWN ALL EXITS IMMEDIATELY."
