Chapter 306: Bathroom

KATYA POV

“Michael!” I slammed my palm against the door again. Nothing.

“Michael!” My voice cracked. The silence on the other side felt worse than the screaming downstairs. At least screaming meant people were there. Meant something was happening.

This? This felt like being abandoned. My hand shot to the handle again. Twist.

Nothing. Locked. I pulled harder. Still nothing. Panic clawed its way up my throat. “Michael!” The name came out louder this time.

Desperate. I hit the door again. And again. And again. The wood rattled beneath the force, but it didn’t move. Didn’t budge. Didn’t care.

My chest tightened painfully. Why would he do that? Why lock us in? Why leave? The gun flashed through my mind again. The look on his face when he’d taken it from the cabinet.

The way his expression had changed. The way he’d looked at the screens. My stomach dropped. Whatever was happening downstairs…

A loud groan came from behind me. I turned immediately. Chiara. She was leaning against the wall beside the door, her forehead pressed against it.

Not trying to get out anymore. Just… resting there. Or trying to.

“Chiara?” She made a miserable sound.

“Oh no.” My panic shifted instantly. I crossed the room in quick steps.

“Chiara.”

She lifted a finger. A very unsteady finger. “Don’t move.”

“What?”

“Everything is spinning.”

I blinked.

“What?”

She squeezed her eyes shut.

“The room.”

Another groan.

“The room is moving.”

A beat.

Then….”I think I’m dying.” Despite everything happening around us, despite the fear crushing my chest, I stared at her.

“You’re not dying.”

“I might be.”

“You are not.”

“I definitely might be.” She pressed her forehead harder against the wall. Then immediately regretted it. The expression on her face twisted.

“Oh.”

My stomach sank.

“Oh no.”

“What?”

She swallowed. Slowly. Carefully. Then whispered: “I think I’m going to throw up.” Every trace of panic about the locked door disappeared from my mind.

I grabbed her arm instantly.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Katya.” Her face turned slightly green.

“I really think—”

“No.”

“I really—”

“No.”

Chiara made another horrible sound. A sound no one should ever hear from another human being. I pulled her away from the wall immediately.

“Bathroom.”

“What bathroom?”

“There has to be one.”

“There better be.” I looked around frantically. The private sitting room suddenly seemed much smaller than before.

A couch. A coffee table. Bookshelves. A cabinet. Another door. My eyes locked onto it.

“There.” Chiara followed my gaze. Hope filled her eyes. The strongest emotion I’d seen from her all night.

“Please let that be a bathroom.” I practically dragged her across the room. My hand wrapped around the handle. I twisted. The door opened and what the fuck?!

No bathroom. No sink. No mirror. Nothing. Just darkness. A narrow hallway stretched beyond the doorway, disappearing into shadows. For a second, I simply stared. My brain refusing to process what I was looking at. Because this made absolutely no sense. Why would there be a hallway inside a sitting room? The light from the room spilled across the floor, revealing concrete instead of carpet. Exposed pipes ran along one wall.

It looked unfinished.

Hidden. Like something employees used. Or maybe something they weren’t supposed to. A cold chill crawled down my spine. “What is that?” Chiara asked weakly behind me.

“I don’t know.” The words had barely left my mouth when Chiara suddenly froze.

Her eyes widened.

“Oh no.” My stomach dropped. She twisted away from me so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet.

Then she vomited.

“Oh my God.” The sound echoed through the room. Chiara groaned miserably.

I winced. Another gag. She bent over further, one hand braced against the wall. I immediately moved toward her.

“Chiara.” She lifted a trembling finger. The universal signal for ‘leave me alone.’ Then immediately gagged again. The smell hit a second later.

I regretted every decision that had led us here. “That drink was evil,” she muttered hoarsely. A pause.

Then another miserable sound. “I hate everybody.” Despite everything happening around us, despite the fear still squeezing my chest, I almost laughed.

Almost. Then another scream echoed faintly somewhere outside the room.

The sound died immediately. My amusement vanished.

The knot in my stomach returned.

Fast. I looked back toward the dark hallway.

Something about it felt wrong. Not dangerous exactly. Just… Unexpected. Like it wasn’t supposed to be there. The darkness stretched farther than it should have. Farther than the dimensions of the office suggested.

I frowned.

Michael owned this place. A strange feeling settled over me. Curiosity. The worst possible thing to feel right now. I took one cautious step closer. Then another.

The darkness didn’t move. Didn’t change. Just waited. A faint draft brushed across my skin.

Cool air. Coming from somewhere deeper inside. Meaning the hallway connected to something. Another room. Another exit. My pulse quickened.

Exit. The word lodged itself immediately in my brain. An exit meant a way out. A way past the locked office door. A way out of this room. A way out of being trapped.

Behind me, Chiara finally straightened. She looked significantly less green than before.

Still terrible. But less terrible. “Please tell me that’s a bathroom.” “It isn’t.”

She stared.

“Oh. That’s concerning.” I couldn’t disagree. Chiara wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked toward the hallway. The color drained from her face again. Not from alcohol this time.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think Michael knows it’s there?”

I looked at her.

Then at the hallway. Then back at her.

“I really hope so.” A loud metallic bang echoed somewhere deep inside the darkness.

Both of us froze.

Completely. The sound wasn’t close. But it definitely came from inside the hallway.

My heart stopped. Chiara’s eyes widened. We stared into the darkness. The darkness stared back. Neither of us moved. Neither of us breathed.

Then, somewhere far down the hidden corridor….

A light flickered on.