Chapter 3
Tessa rushed to the side of the hospital bed, wrapping her arms tightly around her trembling three-year-old daughter.
The little girl’s skin felt ice-cold to the touch, despite the stifling heat blowing from the hospital’s radiator unit.
"It's okay, baby, Mommy's here," Tessa whispered frantically, pressing her lips against Maisie’s warm, hair-matted forehead.
Evan and Sheriff Miller rushed into the room right behind her, both stopping dead in their tracks at the sight of the window.
lower glass panel, the moisture was slowly evaporating, but the distinct shape of the small handprint remained shockingly visible.
"What in God's name is that?" Sheriff Miller muttered under his breath, instinctively reaching for his utility belt.
"The room was locked from the inside, officer," the nurse said, her voice shaking uncontrollably as she clutched her clipboard. "Nobody came in or out."
Evan stared at the glass, his entire body rigid with a paralysis that seemed born of absolute, primal horror.
"She found us," Evan whispered, so softly that only Tessa caught the terrifying word.
Tessa snapped her head around, her eyes blazing with fierce maternal protectiveness.
"Who found us, Evan? Say her name!" Tessa demanded, her voice cutting through the mechanical hum of the monitor.
Evan didn't answer; instead, he backed away toward the hallway door, his eyes glued to the dark glass pane outside.
Outside, beyond the reflection of the room's harsh lights, the thick black pines of the Oregon forest swayed in the rising night wind.
"We need to discharge her right now," Tessa said firmly, looking directly at the nurse. "Sign the papers. We are leaving."
"Mrs. Hawthorne, the doctor needs to observe her for potential head trauma," the nurse stammered nervously.
"I don't care! We are not staying in this building another minute!" Tessa yelled, pulling the IV tape gently off Maisie's small arm.
Sheriff Miller stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Tessa's shoulder to arrest her frantic movement.
"Tessa, slow down," Miller said sternly. "You can't just run off into the middle of the night with an injured child."
"Get your hands off me, Sheriff!" Tessa snarled, spinning around with a fury that made the large officer pause. "Your job is to protect citizens, not cover up whatever sick cult secrets this town is hiding!"
"This isn't a cover-up, ma'am," Miller replied coldly, his eyes darkening. "It's about county safety protocols."
"My daughter is not a case file!" Tessa screamed, pulling Maisie into her arms and wrapping her tightly in a heavy flannel blanket.
Maisie buried her face deep into Tessa's neck, her small hands clutching her mother's jacket with incredible strength.
"Mommy," Maisie whimpered softly into her ear. "The little girl in the woods said Grandma is coming."
Tessa froze, her boots rooted to the floor as a cold spike of adrenaline shot down her spine.
"What did you say, baby?" Tessa asked, her voice dropping into a desperate whisper.
"The little girl with the red shoes," Maisie whispered, her breath fluttering against Tessa's skin. "She said Grandma is bringing the fire."
Before anyone in the room could react to the toddler's chilling statement, the overhead fluorescent lights flickered violently three times.
A loud, metallic pop echoed from the main power grid down the hallway, plunging the entire floor into complete darkness.
The red emergency backup lights kicked on instantly, casting a eerie, blood-like glow over the hospital room.
Down the hallway, the main double doors clicked open with a heavy, mechanical thud.
The sharp, distinct sound of high heels tapping slowly against the linoleum floor began to echo toward them in the red-lit silence.
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Every single step was deliberate, heavy, and completely unhurried.
Lenora Hawthorne was walking down the hall, holding a heavy leather-bound ledger in one hand and a vintage brass key in the other.
