I ran with everything in me, my chest heaving, my lungs burning as if they would collapse any second. I threw open every door in my path, not caring how loudly they slammed against the walls. One after the other, I searched, desperate, frantic, but Lena was nowhere to be found.
Each door revealed something worse than the last.
Some rooms had people inside, some bound, wrists and ankles tied so tightly their skin had turned raw and bruised. Others lay motionless on the ground, too weak to even lift their heads. A few looked like nothing more than bags of bones, their hollow eyes staring at nothing, as though they had already given up on life. It was clear they had been here for a long time.
I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Their eyes followed me as I moved, pleading, begging, silently screaming for help. Some even found the strength to whisper, asking me to free them. But I couldn't. Not yet. Not until I found Lena.
Every second mattered.
