The woman guided them up the stairs to a long corridor filled with doors. As they walked, the sounds grew louder.

Women’s screams came from various doors, and Gracie tried not to imagine what was happening behind those doors. Fortunately, the room assigned to them was the last one in the corridor, though it was still possible to hear the moans from the other rooms; it could have been worse.

The woman who attended to them, who introduced herself as Amethyst, opened the door to ...