The hallway was quiet away from the noise of the main ballroom.
Mark leaned against the white paneled wall to catch his breath.
Sarah adjusted the blue ribbon on her designer dress with a smile.
She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him into a kiss.
His shoulder bumped hard against the drywall during the embrace.
A soft thud echoed inside the hollow structure of the wall.
Mark froze as his ear rested close to the smooth painted board.
He pulled back slowly with a look of complete confusion.
A faint voice filtered through the narrow gap in the wall.
It sounded like a small child weeping in a dark space.
Mark: Did you hear that?
Sarah: Hear what, darling?
Mark: There is someone behind this wall!
Sarah: Don't be silly, Mark.
Mark: I am not joking, Sarah.
Sarah tried to laugh off his concern and grabbed his arm.
She told him it was just an old pipe vibrating inside.
Mark shook his head and pressed his palm against the wall.
He felt a faint warmth coming from behind the plaster board.
He tapped the surface with his knuckles to test the space.
The wood sounded completely hollow across a large section.
He pressed his ear back against the white surface once more.
The tiny voice spoke again with clear words of distress.
Voice: Daddy... help me...
Mark felt a cold chill run down his entire back.
Mark: Who is in there?
Sarah: Mark, please stop this!
Mark: There is a child trapped in here!
Sarah: Guests are waiting for us in the ballroom!
Mark ignored her plea and looked around for a heavy tool.
He saw a brass fire extinguisher mounted down the corridor.
He ran over and pulled the heavy cylinder off its metal bracket.
Sarah stepped directly in front of him with wide frightened eyes.
She reached out to grab the heavy metal canister from his hands.
Her voice trembled with an urgency that surprised him completely.
Sarah: You cannot break this wall!
Mark: Why are you acting like this?
Sarah: It is venue property, Mark!
Mark: Someone is crying for help inside!
She squeezed his wrist tightly to stop him from moving forward.
Mark looked into her eyes and saw pure terror rising.
It was not fear of damage to the building's walls.
She was terrified of what lay hidden behind the paneling.
Mark pulled his wrist free from her tight grasp gently.
He swung the base of the brass cylinder against the drywall.
The plaster cracked open with a loud crunching sound.
White powder filled the air around them like dense smoke.
Sarah backed away slowly while covering her face with her hands.
Mark struck the wall two more times with total force.
A wide hole opened up between two wooden support studs.
Darkness showed through the broken plaster in the bright hallway.
A tiny hand reached out into the light from the gap.