“Stop!” Kane shouted.
She didn’t.
The cart rocked behind them, forgotten.
She ran into traffic like she knew every gap between cars. Ruiz pushed after her, but she was already weaving through pedestrians, disappearing between coats and umbrellas.
“Call it in!” Kane yelled.
But something felt wrong.
Too clean.
Too planned.
By the time they reached the corner—
She was gone.
No footsteps.
No trace.
Only the cart still standing behind them, quietly humming in the wind.
Ruiz approached it cautiously. “Something’s off.”
Kane pulled the latch again.
The cart door creaked open.
Empty.
Not even food.
Not even shelves.
Just hollow metal.
Ruiz frowned. “Where did it all go?”
Kane didn’t answer.
Because behind them, a small voice said—
“She never keeps it there.”
They turned.
A little girl stood on the sidewalk.
Barefoot.
Calm.
Watching them like she had been waiting.
