Chapter 36 - THE HIDDEN PASSAGE
Daniel folded Donovan's map and slipped it inside his jacket.
"We're not taking the elevator."
Alex nodded immediately.
Neither of them had forgotten Donovan's warning.
Bennett examined the nursery walls one final time before stopping beside an old oxygen supply cabinet.
"Wait."
She tapped the metal surface.
It sounded hollow.
Daniel walked over.
"So does this section."
Together they pushed the cabinet sideways.
It moved much more easily than expected.
Behind it was a narrow concrete tunnel barely wide enough for one person.
Fresh air drifted from inside.
Alex aimed his flashlight into the darkness.
Metal rails ran along the floor.
"They're on Donovan's map."
Daniel compared the drawing.
"Yes."
"This tunnel bypasses the elevator."
"It leads directly toward Level D."
Bennett smiled faintly.
"Looks like Donovan expected we'd make it this far."
Before entering, Alex looked back toward the reconstructed nursery.
Something on the wall caught his eye.
A height chart.
Simple pencil marks climbing year after year.
Just like parents measure their children's growth.
Except these marks carried dates.
One line had Alex's name.
Another had Subject B.
The two sets of marks stopped on the exact same day.
Alex touched the wall gently.
"They were here together."
Daniel stood beside him.
"Maybe."
Alex shook his head.
"No."
He pointed to the final measurement.
"They weren't just here together."
"They grew up together."
A sudden realization spread across the room.
If Subject B had lived beside Alex...
Then somewhere beyond Level C...
There might still be someone alive who remembered the childhood Alex had lost.
Before anyone spoke again, a faint beam of light appeared deep inside the tunnel.
It wasn't stationary.
It was moving.
May you like
Someone else...
...was already walking toward them from Level D.
