The building on Sedwick Avenue was tired. Decades of deferred maintenance. landlords who squeezed every penny from tenants while giving nothing back. The hallway smelled like mildew. Half the lights were burned out. The elevator had an out of order sign that looked permanent. They climbed four flights of stairs.
From inside apartment 4f, Ethan heard a thin sound, almost like a cat meowing. A baby crying. Too tired to really cry anymore, he knocked, footsteps inside, light, tentative. Who is it? A woman’s voice high with fear. My name is Ethan Mercer. I received a text message meant for someone named Evelyn. A message asking for help. Silence.
I’m not here to hurt you. I brought the formula. Please open the door. Seconds ticked by. Then the deadbolt clicked. The door opened 3 in. Stopped by a chain lock. Through the gap, Ethan saw a face, young but tired, auburn hair and a messy ponytail, eyes red rimmed. She was small, wearing an oversized sweater with a hole in the sleeve, holding a baby against her shoulder.
The baby had her mother’s auburn hair. Her cheeks were pale instead of pink. The sign of a child not eating enough. Your Clara witmore. Your cleric more. Her eyes went wide. He saw the fear spike. How does he know my name? How did you? I traced the number. When I got your message, I traced it. I know that sounds. He stopped.
There was no way to make that sound not alarming. You texted the wrong number. It came to me and I couldn’t just ignore it. Clara stared at him through the gap. Her eyes moved over what she could see. The expensive coat, the watch, the security man behind him. This is some kind of scam. It’s not a scam.
