Warmth spreads faintly through my chest at the memory.
A tether.
Something pulling me upward through the dark.
Stay.
The word drifts through me.
Then his voice again, rougher this time.
“…didn’t come this far to lose you…”
A weak breath slips past my lips.
I can’t feel it happen, but somewhere nearby, a machine changes rhythm for half a second.
I try again.
Fighting through the heaviness.
Toward him.
Because if I can still hear Russ—
then I’m still here too.
Clay
The room is quiet.
But not the good kind.
The kind that means everyone is thinking the same thing.
We didn’t get them all.
Lucas leans over the table, pulling up the layout Olivia described.
“East wing infirmary,” he says. “Lower surgical level here. If they started moving them when things went bad, they’re not staying put.”
“No,” I agree. “They’ll relocate. Fast.”
Miles crosses his arms. “We hit them hard. They won’t sit still after that.”
Exactly.
Which means we’re already behind.
I glance toward the hallway.
Toward ICU.
Russ hasn’t left her side.
Hasn’t even looked in here.
“Status on the kids we got?” I ask.
