Chapter 8: Out of Control
721 Words
The room fell quiet again after Sebastian left.
Too quiet.
Regal stared at the ceiling, her body heavy, her mind restless. Sleep didn’t come easily—not after everything that had happened.
Not after what she now knew.
This wasn’t just a case.
It was a hunt.
And she was the target.
⸻
The door creaked open softly.
A nurse stepped in.
Different from the one earlier.
Regal barely glanced at her.
“Pain meds,” the nurse said calmly, already preparing the injection.
Regal frowned slightly.
“I thought I already had—”
“This will help you rest.”
Her voice was smooth.
Reassuring.
Too reassuring.
Regal hesitated.
But her body hurt.
Everywhere.
So she didn’t argue.
The needle slid in.
Cold.
Then warm.
Then too much.
⸻
At first, it felt normal.
The pain dulled.
Her muscles relaxed.
Her breathing slowed.
Then, something shifted.
The ceiling above her seemed to stretch.
Bend.
The edges of the room blurred.
Regal blinked.
Once.
Twice.
“What…” she whispered.
Her voice sounded distant.
Like it didn’t belong to her.
The walls felt like they were moving.
Closing in.
Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears.
Too loud.
Too slow.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
⸻
She pushed herself up.
Her body didn’t cooperate.
Her legs felt weak, unsteady.
But staying in that bed suddenly felt worse.
Like danger was sitting right there with her.
Watching.
Waiting.
“I need…” she murmured, though she didn’t know what she needed.
Air?
Space?
Escape?
Yes.
Escape.
⸻
The hallway lights were too bright.
Everything blurred into streaks of white and gray as she stepped out of the room.
Her shoulder brushed the wall.
Then again.
She couldn’t walk straight.
Voices echoed around her, distorted and far away.
Laughter.
Footsteps.
A distant machine beeping.
Everything felt unreal.
Like she was trapped inside a dream she couldn’t wake up from.
⸻
Then—
She bumped into someone.
Hard.
Regal staggered slightly.
“Watch it!” a sharp voice snapped.
Strong hands grabbed her arms.
Too tight.
Too sudden.
Regal flinched.
Her vision struggled to focus.
Shapes turned into faces.
Blurry.
Then clearer.
Men.
Tall.
Dressed in black.
Security.
“Let her go.”
The voice that followed was different.
Calm.
Confident.
Used to being obeyed.
The grip on Regal loosened instantly.
She tried to look up.
Really look this time.
And then, she saw her.
A young woman stood there, perfectly put together despite being in a hospital. Expensive clothes. Perfect hair. The kind of presence that didn’t need to try.
Spoilt.
You could tell.
But her eyes weren’t cruel.
Just… curious.
“She can barely stand,” the girl said, glancing at Regal. “What are you doing grabbing her like that?”
“She bumped into you, ma’am,” one of the guards replied.
“And?” she shot back. “Does she look like she planned it?”
Regal blinked slowly.
Her head spun.
The girl stepped closer.
“Hey…” she said, softer now. “Can you hear me?”
Regal tried to respond.
Her lips parted.
But no words came out.
Everything tilted again.
“She doesn’t look okay,” the girl muttered. “Call someone.”
A guard moved quickly.
But Regal was already slipping.
The girl’s face blurred.
The lights stretched again.
The sound of footsteps rushed toward her.
Then—
darkness.
⸻
“Vitals dropping!”
“Get her to ICU—now!”
Voices.
Urgent.
Sharp.
Regal couldn’t move.
Couldn’t open her eyes.
Her body felt like it was sinking.
Fading.
⸻
Somewhere that seemed far away in her mind, machines beeped faster.
Hands moved around her.
Cold.
Efficient.
Unfamiliar.
⸻
And then—
nothing.
⸻
Sebastian Cole’s phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
He answered on the third.
“Cole.”
A pause.
His expression changed instantly.
“What do you mean ICU?”
Silence.
Then—
His jaw tightened.
“Who authorized that dosage?”
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Dangerous.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
He ended the call.
Already moving.
Already thinking.
Already furious.
⸻
Back in the ICU—
Regal lay still.
Unconscious.
Machines surrounding her.
Monitoring.
Beeping.
Waiting.
⸻
But this time—
It wasn’t just the case that was spiraling out of control.
It was everything.
- Writer
