The door didn't swing open like a normal door.
It yielded __ as if it had been waiting for permission from something deeper
than hinges and locks.
Jessica stood frozen, blood sliding down her knuckles in slow, deliberate
drops. Each drop felt too loud. Too real. A metronome counting out the
seconds she'd just stolen.
Micah's shoulder pressed lightly against hers __ not protective in a
romantic way, not possessive. Just present. Anchoring. He was braced the
way people braced at the edge of a cliff, not sure if the ground would
hold.
In the corridor beyond, darkness pooled thicker than it had any right to
under fluorescent lighting.
And then Nurse Halden appeared.
Not emerging from shadow like a movie villain.
Not rushing.
She simply stepped into view as if she had always b
