Chapter 6: Into the Steam
The laundry service tunnel was a vaulted brick corridor where the constant roar of industrial washing machines vibrated through the floorboards. Wisps of white steam hissed from overhead valves, obscuring the ceiling and casting ghostly shadows against the damp brickwork. Clara pushed the bassinet carefully through the swirling mist, keeping the baby shielded from the humid draft.
Chloe clutched the heavy ledger tighter to her chest, her eyes darting nervously toward every dark alcove. "It's so loud down here," she shouted over the mechanical thud of the giant tumblers. "Nobody would ever hear us if someone screamed."
"Which is precisely why Evelyn didn't post guards here immediately," Clara shouted back, her muscles aching from the steady strain of the cart. "She thinks only in terms of elevators and main corridors. People of her class forget that the working foundation of a hospital relies on these dirty, hidden spaces."
They reached the base of the massive stainless steel laundry chute—a wide vertical tube that descended from the upper floors, used for dropping soiled sheets directly into the sorting bins below. Next to it was a heavy fire door marked Authorized Personnel Only. Clara pulled out Chloe's master ring of keys and tested a jagged brass key in the latch. It turned with a satisfying click.
"This is it," Clara said, pushing the door open to reveal a narrow concrete ramp leading upward to daylight. "The sorting facility is just on the other side of this firewall."
Suddenly, a heavy slam echoed from the far end of the tunnel. Heavy boots splashed through a puddle of water, followed by the harsh beam of a high-intensity flashlight cutting through the steam.
"Stop right there!" a gruff voice commanded.
Clara froze. The security guard had found the secondary trail faster than anticipated. He stood fifty yards away, his hand resting instinctively on the baton at his belt, silhouette framed by the billowing white mist.
"Go!" Clara hissed to Chloe, shoving the bassinet through the open fire door. "I'll hold him!"
May you like
"I'm not leaving you," Chloe protested, tears of frustration spilling over her lashes.
"Chloe, protect the child!" Clara ordered with fierce authority. "That is the only mission that matters now!"
