Chapter 20: The Controller
Maya found her brother three hours later.
The address her father sent was real. An old house in suburban LA. The basement door was unlocked. She descended stairs into darkness.
"David?" she called. "David, are you down here?"
A whimper. From the corner.
She turned on her phone's flashlight. A boy sat chained to a radiator. Twelve years old. Thin. Scared. But alive.
"Maya?" His voice was weak. "Is it really you?"
"It's me." She ran to him. Started working on the chains. They were locked. She pulled out a small crowbar from her bag. Pried at the lock. It broke. The chains fell away.
David threw his arms around her. Sobbing. "I thought I'd never see you again. I thought—"
"Shh. It's okay. I've got you. We're leaving. Right now."
She carried him up the stai
