Hailey

The heavy iron doors of the factory groaned as Evans shoved them open. The air inside didn't smell like a textile mill. It smelled like bleach, old blood, and ozone. I followed close behind him, my heart hammering against my ribs so hard it felt like it would crack. Nancy was right beside me, her breathing shallow and fast. She was vibrating, her eyes fixed on a specific corridor that led deeper into the gut of the building.

"This way," Nancy whispered, pointing toward a reinforced steel door at the end of the hall. "The pulse is loudest there. It’s almost deafening."

Evans kept his gun raised, his eyes...