I was so nervous. My heart was pounding so hard in my ribcage as Brian pushed me into the elevator. We were in a skyscraper in downtown Chicago. I hoped I would run into someone in the lobby or inside the elevator. But my hopes were dashed because we hadn’t run into anyone since they dragged me out of the car.

“Don’t expect to find anyone here. This apartment building is unoccupied. Alana’s family vacated it last year for renovations.”

The elevator shot up quickly and stopped on the ...