Clay slowly releases my wrist but keeps himself directly beside me.
Always close enough to catch me now.
Like he knows I’m one memory away from falling apart.
The doctor watches the rescue calmly.
Too calmly.
And suddenly—
I realize something horrifying.
She isn’t afraid.
Not even a little.
My pulse spikes.
“Clay…”
He hears it instantly.
“What?”
“She’s waiting.”
The doctor’s smile widens slightly.
“Oh,” she says softly.
“There it is.”
My blood turns to ice.
Because suddenly I remember another phrase.
Another room.
Another lesson.
Recovery teams always arrive after exposure.
Oh God.
OH GOD.
I spin toward Russ violently.
“It’s a trap!”
The lights immediately die.
Darkness swallows the nursery whole.
And somewhere deep in the tunnels—sirens begin screaming.
48
