"I know where your mother is. I'll take you to see her!" Ned crouched down, placing his hands on Sophie's shoulders. "You have to pull yourself together. There are still many things you need to handle." With that, he gently but firmly helped her to her feet, keeping an arm around her shoulders as they left the VIP ward and entered the elevator.
The elevator descended steadily, floor after floor, until it stopped at B4—the fourth basement level. This was a part of the hospital Sophie had never visited, though she had always known it housed the morgue.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Ned stepped out of the elevator first. Terrified, Sophie clung tightly to his arm, following him step by step. The entire floor was brightly lit, yet utterly deserted and eerily empty. The air carried a heavy, pungent odor of chemicals—some kind of disinfectant she couldn't identify, sharp and stinging.
