Chapter 11 · The Back Way

"Daniel." Mark's voice cut through the fog. "Let go of the nail. Now."

Daniel tried. His fingers stayed locked around the black metal.

The nail hummed against his palm, low enough to feel in his teeth. Amy stood three steps away, her scarred arm still glowing faintly. Lucas watched from the wall with his dead phone clenched in one hand.

"I know where the door is," Daniel said.

Mark stopped. "What door?"

"The one she's looking for." Daniel pointed at Amy. "The one that took you back."

Hope flashed across Amy's face. Then hunger. Daniel couldn't tell which scared him more.

"There isn't a door here," Mark said. His voice had gone careful, the same voice he used when someone in group was about to do something stupid. "This is a storage basement under a community center. Cleaning supplies, a furnace, and bad wiring. That's it."

Daniel shook his head and walked left.

His legs knew the route. Three steps past the shelf where Lucas had found the files. One step toward the bare concrete wall. His free hand rose.

"Daniel, don't touch—"

He pushed.

The wall folded inward without a hinge or a sound.