“We have to hide here, Red. I’ll check if it’s safe in a few minutes.” When there was no reply from Red, Brooke turned her head, searching. “Red?” The other woman stood frozen, unmoving in the middle of the room.

“What are you—ahh…” Brooke stepped up beside Red, concerned why she was non-verbal. The room was not empty as she had expected. It wasn’t empty at all and the scene before them was a terrifying one.

Cots. Rows and rows of cots and each one was occupied with a tiny infant. Some were sleeping, wrapped in thin blankets. Others were squirming, having come loose from their bundle. A few were wailing, a loud sound that would make any dog in the surrounding area sit up and take notice. How Brooke didn’t hear them, was beyond her. The adrenaline was a roar in her ears, blocking out everything except listening for footsteps of anyone that might be approaching. A quick count revealed twenty-four cots. Twenty-four babies either stolen are birthed by a mother that was likely a prisoner in the same house of horrors she was trying to escape from.

Covering her mouth, Brooke supressed a scream of disgust. Children. Helpless infants all lined up and ready to be sold by the indescribable monster, Marcus. An auction straight from a mother’s worst nightmare.

“Red,” she tried to get her attention. “Red,” she said with more force. When that still didn’t work, she reached out and lightly shook her. The haunted, empty look in her eyes when Red finally acknowledged her, broke Brooke’s heart into a million tiny pieces.

“My sons. My daughters…” she moved towards the cots. “I—I have to find them. I—I—I didn’t get to—to hold them,” she stammered, peering over the cots at the tiny faces. Her heartbreak was written all over her face as she searched from cot to cot for her children.

Not being able to stand seeing her torment, Brooke rushed to her side, trying to tug her away. “Red, I don’t think they are here now. These…these are infants. As in just born, and you—” Red’s head whipped around to pin Brooke with furious eyes.

“Shut up. You know nothin’. My children are here. They are here.” Tears sprang to Brooke’s eyes at the utter despair in Red’s voice.“I really wish they were, God, Red. But I promise you, we will make these bastards pay. We will find your children and make sure they can never do this to any other woman,” Brooke’s promise was fierce and true. She would shut this operation down, even if it killed her to do it.