He had expected Raegan to call if she needed further transportation, especially since a night driver was available to take over. With the lack of further instructions from Raegan and assuming his shift was over, he did not return.
Overwhelmed with frustration at their slacking off, Erick realized that had anyone been attentive, Raegan would already be home safe and sound.
In his urgency, Erick called Mitchel around three in the morning to understand the situation better.
Mitchel, hadnt yet fallen asleep, responded promptly. He told Erick that Raegan had visited him this day but had left soon after, which was precisely what the secretary had told him.
After the call, Erick sought assistance from law enforcement to access and review conference center surveillance footage, hoping for any clues.
Meanwhile, feeling restless, Mitchel prepared himself and requested his driver to head to the conference center, the first logical place to search, despite the odds.
Knowing the conference center was secured after hours by a system that only senior officials could disable, Mitchel tried to reach the duty officer for access but received no response. He then instructed Matteo to track down the official directly.
Taking matters into his own hands, Mitchel managed to enter the building using a security key.
Navigating the dark stairwell with a flashlight held in his mouth, Mitchel carefully climbed, relying on the railing and his cane. As fatigue set in, he placed the flashlight in his coat pocket to use both hands to feel his way through the darkness.
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Fortunately, his office was located on the eighth floor, not the eighteenth.
After a grueling twenty-minute ascent, Mitchel arrived at his destination.
Exhausted, he moved toward his office and knocked on the door.
The office was inaccessible due to a power outage, as entry required both electricity and a security code.
The door, perfectly integrated into the wall without seams, offered no glimpse inside, and the windows on the opposite side made any attempt to break in unfeasible.
Mitchel repeatedly knocked on the door while calling Raegans name, each shout filled with hope that she was not inside.
The chilling temperatures of Aurora at night could plummet to minus forty degrees Celsius outside, and nearly minus twenty-two inside.
The lack of heating in the office meant that if Raegan had lost consciousness inside, her situation could become perilous.
Despite the silence that followed his calls, a part of Mitchel clung to the hope that no response might mean Raegan was safe elsewhere.
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He knocked persistently, but when he received no answer, a slight sense of relief washed over him.
However, just as he considered taking a break, a soft sound caught his attention. It was a noise as subtle as the flutter of butterfly wings in the empty corridor, which was audible due to the stark quiet of the night.
Mitchels heart clenched at the sound, a terrifying confirmation of his fears. Raegan was indeed inside his office!
Unable to wait for power restoration, Mitchel resorted to using his cane to hammer against the sturdy door, which resisted his desperate strikes.
Frustrated but determined, he shouted, Raegan, Raegan, dont fall asleep! Hold on, just hold on! as he continued to batter the door, each strike a plea for her safety.
Within Mitchels office, silence prevailed. Even the faint sounds had ceased.