Chapter 11: The Mother Who Chose a Monster
The emergency lights bathed the corridor in crimson.
Grace pulled me into a storage alcove just as two guards ran past. Their boots struck the floor in rapid succession, and one of them carried a rifle.
The officer beside us whispered into his radio.
“Team Two, we have a compromised entry. Repeat, compromised entry. Move to the eastern wing.””
Static answered.
Then a voice came through the speaker.
“Team Two is down. We have two officers injured at the perimeter.””
My stomach tightened.
Vanessa had known we were coming.
She had prepared for us.
Grace checked her weapon.
“We need to reach Abigail before they move her.””
I nodded.
We waited until the corridor fell quiet, then slipped through a service door into the pediatric unit.
The walls were painted with faded animals. A row of empty cribs stood against one wall, their metal frames rusted. Children's drawings had been taped to the doors, some showing families holding hands beneath bright yellow suns.
I stopped beside one.
A little girl had drawn three people: a woman, a man, and a child.
Beneath them, in uneven handwriting, were the words Please let me go home.
I couldn't look at it for long.
We found Abigail in Room 108.
She was standing beside the bed, trying to force open a window secured with metal bars. When she saw us, she raised a broken piece of glass like a knife.
“Stay back!””
“Abigail,” Grace said softly.
“We're here to get you out.””
Abigail looked from Grace to me.
Then she stared at my face.
“Daniel?””
I nodded.
“I'm your brother.””
She laughed bitterly.
“I've spent twenty years hearing that I have no family. Now two strangers walk in and tell me I'm a Hayes.””
“I know it's hard to believe.””
“Hard to believe?”” She threw the glass onto the bed.
“They took my childhood. They told me my mother abandoned me. They gave me drugs whenever I asked questions. They made me watch videos of people who looked like me and told me they were my replacements.””
My chest tightened.
“Replacements?””
Abigail sat down abruptly.
“They called us candidates. Children born from selected genetic material. Some were adopted by wealthy families.
Others were kept here for experiments. They wanted to see which traits could be inherited, which diseases could be prevented, which children would grow into the most valuable adults.””
Grace looked sick.
“Who authorized it?””
Abigail stared at me.
“Our father.””
I closed my eyes.
Another piece of the family legacy shattered.
“He believed he was protecting the company,” Abigail continued.
“He thought he could engineer a perfect heir. But when the first child developed complications, he tried to shut the project down.””
“Who was the first child?”” I asked.
Abigail looked toward the door.
Then she whispered, “Me.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“I wasn't the first embryo. I was the first child they considered a failure.””
She pulled up her sleeve.
A thin scar ran along her forearm.
“They took samples from me when I was little. Blood, hair, skin. They told me it was routine. Later, I found records showing they were trying to identify the genetic markers our father believed made the Hayes family special.””
Grace sat beside her.
“Why didn't you escape?””
“I tried. Twice.””
Abigail's voice cracked.
“The first time, they caught me before I reached the road. The second time, a nurse helped me. They fired her, then told me she'd died in an accident.””
I thought of Lily.
Of the women who had tried to tell the truth and vanished.
“Where is she now?”” I asked.
Abigail looked at me.
“Which one?””
“Lily.””
“Room 204. But Vanessa won't keep her there much longer.””
We hurried into the corridor.
Room 204 was locked.
Grace forced the handle while I checked the hallway.
Inside, Lily sat on the floor beside a narrow bed, her wrists bound with plastic restraints. Her face was swollen, and a dark bruise covered one cheek.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Then she looked up.
“Daniel?””
I dropped to my knees.
“Lily.””
She stared at me as though she were afraid the image would disappear.
“You came.””
I cut the restraints with a small blade.
“Of course I came.””
She touched my face with trembling fingers.
“I thought she'd convinced you I was dead.””
“She tried.””
Lily's eyes moved toward Ethan's empty teddy bear, which I had brought as a reminder of why we were there.
“Where's my son?””
“Safe. With Marcus and Michael.””
She began to cry.
I pulled her into my arms.
For several seconds, we held each other without speaking.
Then Lily pulled back.
“Daniel, you have to listen to me. Vanessa isn't the only one behind this.””
“I know about our mother.””
Lily went still.
“What?””
“She survived the fire. She's been helping Vanessa.””
Lily shook her head.
“No. Your mother didn't help her willingly.””
I stared at her.
“What do you mean?””
“Vanessa threatened Abigail. She told your mother that if she didn't cooperate, she'd kill the girl.””
Abigail stepped into the room.
Lily looked at her and covered her mouth.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
Abigail froze.
“You know me?””
Lily nodded through her tears.
“I used to bring you books when I worked with your father. You were so little. You loved stories about dragons.””
Abigail's expression crumpled.
“Why didn't you come back for me?””
Lily reached for her.
“Because I was told you were dead.””
Abigail backed away.
“Everyone says that.””
Before Lily could answer, the door opened.
A woman stood in the doorway.
She was older, her hair silver and her face deeply lined, but the shape of her eyes was unmistakable.
My mother.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
She looked at me, then at Grace, then at Abigail.
Her hands began to shake.
“Abigail,” she whispered.
The young woman stared at her.
“Don't.””
My mother took one step forward.
“Baby, I've looked for you every day.””
Abigail laughed, a sound full of pain.
“No, you haven't. You knew where I was.””
My mother flinched.
“I was trying to protect you.””
“You left me in a room for twenty years!””
Tears streamed down my mother's face.
“Richard told me that if I tried to take you, he would kill all of you. He said he'd destroy Daniel and Grace. He said he'd make Michael disappear.””
“Michael is alive,” I said.
My mother turned toward me.
For the first time, I saw genuine hope in her expression.
“Is he?””
“Yes.””
She covered her mouth.
Then a gun clicked behind her.
Vanessa stepped into the doorway.
“Touching,” she said.
“Really. I should have brought tissues.””
She held a pistol in one hand and a small remote in the other.
Two guards stood behind her.
My mother turned slowly.
“Vanessa, please.””
Vanessa looked at her with contempt.
“You had one job. Keep the family quiet.””
“I did what you asked.””
“And yet here they are.””
She pointed the gun at Lily.
“Daniel, step away from her.””
I moved in front of Lily.
“No.””
Vanessa sighed.
“You've always been stubborn.””
“Put the gun down.””
“Bring me Ethan.””
“No.””
Her expression hardened.
“Then I'll kill Lily. After that, I'll kill Abigail. Then I'll kill your sister, your brother, and finally you.””
She lifted the remote.
A red indicator blinked.
My mother stared at it.
“What have you done?””
Vanessa smiled.
“I've taken precautions.””
She pressed the button.
A loud explosion shook the building.
Dust rained from the ceiling. The lights flickered, and somewhere below us, metal screamed against metal.
Vanessa grabbed my mother's arm.
“Come with me.””
My mother resisted.
“No!””
Vanessa struck her across the face.
“Move!””
Abigail lunged toward them, but one of the guards caught her and slammed her against the wall.
Lily screamed.
I charged.
The guard raised his weapon, but Grace fired first. The shot shattered the overhead light, plunging the corridor into darkness.
Someone shouted.
A door slammed.
When the emergency lights returned, Vanessa was gone.
So was my mother.
And on the floor lay a small silver pendant that had belonged to my mother since the day I was born.
I picked it up.
Inside was a tiny photograph of me and Grace as children.
Beneath it was a folded note.
My mother's handwriting.
May you like
Daniel, if Vanessa takes me, don't follow her.
The truth about your father is worse than you know.
