The walls breathed, and twelve bodies pressed closer together in the center of the infirmary. Emergency lights flickered in sickly pulses, casting everything in shades of dark red that made shadows writhe like living things. The scent of antiseptic couldn't mask what crept beneath it—grave soil and stolen time, the musty sweetness of corruption seeping through cracks in reality itself.
Christian's frost spread from his feet in delicate patterns, crystalline structures that spoke of midwinter nights and predator grace. The temperature plummeted until breath hung visible in the air, but even this familiar cold felt wrong—tainted by something that hungered for more than flesh and bone.
"The doors." His voice carried the sharp edge of winter storms "They're sealing themselves."
Daisy felt h
