The Giant's Shadow

Mariza pressed herself against the cold concrete wall, her heart hammering against her ribs. The massive facility loomed before her like a sleeping giant, its windows dark except for the harsh spotlights that swept back and forth across the entrance.

"Max is in there somewhere," she whispered to herself, adjusting the worn patch on her navy pirate jacket. The scar on her cheek tingled in the cool night air.

Two guards stood by the main door, their heavy boots clicking against the pavement as they paced. Mariza counted their steps—twelve to the left, pause, twelve to the right. She had been watching for an hour, memorizing their pattern.

Her green eyes tracked the fence line, searching for weak spots. A loose section of chain-link caught her attention near the back corner. Perfect.

She thought about Max's goofy smile and the way he could make tiny flames dance in his palms during their secret practice sessions behind the school. Now he was trapped inside this horrible place, and she was the only one who knew where he was.

The guards turned away. Time to move.

The Unexpected Witness

Mariza crept through the gap in the fence, her worn navy jacket catching on the metal wire. The fabric made a soft tearing sound.

"Great," she whispered, examining the new snag near her stitched patch.

A movement caught her eye. A woman with short blonde hair stood by a maintenance shed, holding a clipboard. She wore a white lab coat over dark pants and looked to be in her thirties.

Mariza froze. The woman hadn't noticed her yet.

The scientist tapped her pen against the clipboard and glanced at her watch. "Where is that delivery truck?" she muttered.

Mariza pressed herself behind a concrete pillar. Her heart hammered as she watched the woman pace back and forth. The scientist pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Dr. Martinez speaking. The new equipment should have arrived an hour ago. We need those power dampeners installed tonight, or subject forty-two's readings will spike again."

Subject forty-two? Mariza's breath caught. That had to be Max.

The woman hung up and walked toward the main building, her footsteps echoing off the concrete.

Mariza waited until she disappeared through a side door, then crept forward.