Matthew watched as the man gasped for air, his broken ribs making every breath painful. His injured arm hung at a strange angle, and he coughed up more blood before he started to beg.
“Please… don’t kill me,” he pleaded, his voice weak and trembling. “I—I’ll tell you everything. The antidote… it’s in there.”
With a shaking hand, he pointed across the room toward a drawer.
Matthew narrowed his eyes and walked over. He pulled the drawer open roughly. Inside lay a single bottle filled with a deep blue liquid. He picked it up carefully, turning it between his fingers while glancing back at the injured man.
“If you are lying to me—” Matthew began.
The man shook his head frantically. “I swear! It is real!”
Matthew held his gaze for a long moment, then slipped the bottle into his pocket and
