Chapter 1 - THE BREATHING WALL
The first thing Ryan Mercer heard behind his daughter's bedroom wall was breathing.
Not pipes. Not mice. Breathing.
He stood frozen beside the open vent while four-year-old Lily clutched a loaf of bread against her pajamas.
"Who are you feeding?" he asked again.
Lily pointed into the darkness.
Ryan dropped to one knee and aimed his phone light through the vent. Blankets covered the narrow space between the walls. Empty water bottles. Apple cores. A pink sneaker.
Then two frightened eyes appeared.
Ryan's heart kicked hard.
"Hey," he whispered. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."
A little girl, maybe five, crawled toward the opening. Her hair was tangled. Dust streaked her cheeks. She held a photograph in one hand.
Behind Ryan, Caroline entered the room.
The blood drained from his wife's face.
"Ryan," she said. "Don't ask her anything."
He turned slowly. "You know she's here?"
"Please. Just move away from the wall."
The little girl squeezed through the vent before Caroline could stop her. She looked at Ryan's face, then at the photograph.
Her lip trembled.
"Daddy."
The word hit the room like a gunshot.
Ryan stared at her. "What did you call me?"
Caroline stepped forward. "She's confused."
"She knows my name," Ryan snapped. "How is she confused?"
The child held up the picture. It showed two boys beside a lake, both about twelve, both with Ryan's face.
Ryan stopped breathing.
He had never seen the photograph before.
Lily tugged his sleeve. "Mommy brings a man here at night."
Caroline went pale. "Lily, stop."
But Lily pointed back into the opening. "There's another room."
Ryan crawled through the vent.
Beyond the blankets, the passage widened. At the far end stood a steel door he had never known existed.
Someone on the other side knocked three times.
Caroline whispered behind him, barely audible.
"They weren't supposed to still be here."
May you like
Then a man's voice came through the door.
"Ryan? If that's you, don't let Caroline open this door first."
