Hailey's POV
Tyler didn't charge towards us immediately.
He stood at the end of the hallway as if he'd all the time in the world, shoulders slumped, head tilted slightly to one side, the red emergency light slicing his face into something grotesque and unfamiliar. The man I once married had been reduced to a silhouette of bitterness and rot, his presence fouling the sterile air of the hospital corridor.
The lead pipe dangled from his hand, loose, careless—like he wasn't sure yet whether he needed it.
That terrified me more than if he'd come screaming.
The hospital smelled wrong in the blackout. Antiseptic layered over sweat, panic, and something darker—ozone from the emergency generators kicking in unevenly. Somewhere in the distance, alarms chirped half-heartedly, struggl
