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"Adam went on a school trip there," Nancy said quietly, following Morgan's gaze to the poster. "I remember that day. They called me from the hospital... he lost his right eye in an accident during the trip." She swallowed hard, her voice wavering. "We sued, and they closed the place down. I don't like talking about it."
Morgan's mind raced as she absorbed this new information. The wildlife center, abandoned and forgotten by most, could be the perfect hiding place for someone like Adam. If he felt a connection to the place where his life had changed forever, then maybe...
"Thank you, Nancy," Morgan said, her tone sincere as she turned towards the older woman. "This has been more helpful than you know."
Nancy nodded, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and fear. "Please... find him, Agent Cross. Bring my son back."
Morgan didn't wait any longer. She hurried out of the house and into the night, her heart pounding in her chest as she climbed into her car. The moment the door slammed shut, she grabbed her phone, her hands shaking as she dialed Derik's number.
"Derik," she said urgently when he picked up. "I think I know where Adam might be hiding. It's an old, closed-down wildlife center. I'm heading there now. Meet me as soon as you can."
"Got it," Derik replied, his voice steady despite the tension Morgan could hear underneath. "Be careful, Morgan. We don't know what we're walking into."
"Understood," she said, her eyes narrowing as determination filled her. "See you there."
As she started the car and drove off into the darkness, Morgan couldn't help but think about the boy Adam had once been – innocent and fascinated by birds, so far removed from the monster he had become. She steeled herself, focusing on the task at hand.
She would find him and put an end to this nightmare, for Nancy's sake and for the lives that had been lost. There was no turning back now.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
The night air was cool and damp as Morgan sped down the desolate road leading outside of Dallas. The full moon cast long, haunting shadows on the deserted landscape, adding to her sense of unease. Despite the urgency of her mission, she couldn't fight the nagging feeling that someone was following her, watching her every move. She glanced nervously at her rearview mirror, half-expecting to see a car tailing her.
"Get it together, Cross," she muttered under her breath, gripping the steering wheel tighter. Fear wouldn't help her now – she had to focus on finding Adam Sallow and stopping him before he could hurt anyone else.
As the old wildlife center came into view, overgrown and seemingly forgotten by time, a shiver ran down Morgan's spine. It looked like the perfect hiding place for a killer. She parked in what used to be the lot, her headlights briefly illuminating the twisted foliage that had reclaimed the area.
She killed the engine and stepped out of the car, the sound of her door closing echoing through the still night. Morgan paused for a moment, listening intently to her surroundings. All she could hear were the rustling leaves and the distant call of a lone owl.
Morgan's boots crunched against the gravel as she cautiously made her way toward the building, careful not to disturb the eerie silence that surrounded her. The overgrown foliage seemed to reach out to her, grasping at her clothes as if trying to hold her back. She noticed a doorway had been cleared among the chaos of nature, confirming her suspicions that someone had been here recently.
"Adam must have known we were coming," Morgan thought, realizing the killer was likely aware he was being pursued.
As she circled around the back of the building, her gaze fell upon a car carefully wedged between dense vegetation, partially hidden from view. It looked new, almost out of place in this forsaken area, and she suspected it was stolen. Morgan's grip on her gun tightened, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
"Gotcha," she whispered, steeling herself for what lay ahead.
With her gun drawn, she approached the entrance, each step slow and deliberate. The rusty metal door groaned in protest as she pushed it open, the sound cutting through the still night air like a knife.
"Shit," she cursed under her breath, realizing her entrance might have alerted her target. But there was no turning back now. She stepped inside, her senses on high alert, heart pounding in her chest.
Stay focused, Morgan. You've got this, she told herself, pushing aside the lingering fear that threatened to consume her. The darkness enveloped her, but she refused to let it intimidate her. Adam Sallow was in here somewhere, and she was determined to bring him down.
The dim light filtering through the grimy windows cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the old wildlife center feel even more sinister. Morgan's eyes adjusted to the darkness as she took in her surroundings, noting the empty cages strewn about. Overgrown weeds and spiderwebs had claimed their territory within the decrepit building, and the air felt heavy with dampness.
"Keep it together," Morgan reminded herself, pushing down the creeping sense of unease that threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn't afford to let fear take control now, not when she was so close to finding Adam Sallow.
Moving slowly, gun raised, Morgan navigated the treacherous terrain of rusted metal and rotting wood. Her keen ears strained to catch any sound that might betray her quarry's presence, but all she could hear was the faint dripping of water and the distant scuttling of insects.
"Where are you, you bastard?" she muttered under her breath, pausing for a moment to scan the room from behind the cover of an overturned table.
As she continued on, Morgan's instincts screamed at her that something was wrong. It felt like she was being watched, hunted. But there was no time to dwell on the feeling; she had to press forward.
Just as she passed one of the larger cages, a sudden force slammed into her back, sending her sprawling forward into the enclosure. The impact knocked the breath out of her, and before she could react, the cage door slammed shut with a metallic clang.
"Son of a—" Morgan hissed, whipping around and firing a shot at the shadowy figure responsible for ambushing her. But her aim was off, and the bullet ricocheted off the bars, leaving her assailant unscathed.
"Damn it!" Morgan cursed as she realized she'd left her phone in the car. With no means of calling for backup or warning Derik, she was well and truly trapped.
