The darkness wasn’t black. It pulsed red—hot, furious, alive.
June’s eyes shot open. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Her throat burned, like she’d swallowed fire. She tried to move her arms, but they wouldn’t budge. Heavy metal cuffs bit into her wrists. She lay on a cold, slanted table in a room that smelled like a weird mix of bleach and fresh bread. Hospital and bakery—sharp and warm at the same time.
Heat thudded through her veins with every heartbeat, like molten lava under her skin.
“She’s awake,” someone said. Calm. Ice-cold.
June blinked hard, trying to focus. The man with the red rose tattoo loomed over her. Next to him stood a woman in a white lab coat, holding a needle that glowed blue—just like the light she’d seen in the secret briefcase.
“Where... where’s my s
