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𪡠LYRA đŞˇ
When Lyra opened her eyes, the infirmary felt different and quieter.
"Sienna?" she called softly. No response. She pushed the curtain aside, the beds on either side were empty.
The room was vacant, a slow chill crept up her spine. She turned to the side and gasped in shock when she saw a pale figure standing besides her. Eloise.
"You-" she whispered. "Why are you-"
"Go."
Eloise turned and moved toward the side of the room, stopping in front of a narrow storage closet. It lifted its hand and pointed at it.
Slowly, Lyra slid off the bed. Her legs were unsteady but firm.
She crossed the room, walking towards the closet. Her hand hovered over the closet handle for half a second before she pulled it open.
Rows, stacks and clear bags filled with dark red, packed tightly on metal shelves. They were dozens, labeled.
"This is-" The door behind her clicked open and Lyra froze.
She turned slowly, the nurse stood there. Her gaze moved first to the open closet, then to Lyra, then back to the closet.
The nurse stepped forward slowly, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
"You weren't supposed to wake up yet," she said calmly. The way she said it made Lyra's blood run cold.
Lyra's heart slammed against her ribs and she took a step back.
The nurse stepped closer, another syringe in her hand.
"You need to lie back down," she said evenly. "You're not fully recovered."
Lyra's back hit the metal shelf. "Where is everyone?" Her voice shook despite her effort to steady it. "Where's my friend?"
"They've all left." The nurse's patience thinned. "Get back on the bed."
The nurse exhaled sharply under her breath when Lyra remained rooted on spot.
"This is inconvenient." She took a step forward.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"Help you."
"I don't need it," Lyra said, backing away. "I'm fine."
"Damn it," the nurse muttered under her breath, the calm slipping for a second. "Let's just get this over with."
And then she lunged, Lyra moved on instinct. She stumbled sideways, slamming into the metal tray stand.
It crashed to the floor with a violent clatter, stainless steel bowls and instruments scattering across the tiles. The sound rang through the empty infirmary.
The nurse grabbed at her sleeve but missed. Lyra bolted towards the door.
Her legs felt unsteady, her vision swimming slightly. She sprinted toward the door, fumbling with the handle before yanking it open.
The hallway outside was deserted and she ran. The nurse's footsteps pounded behind her.
"Stop!" the nurse shouted, Lyra didn't look back. Her breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.
The world tilted slightly with each step. Her arm throbbed where the needle had been.
She turned a corner too fast, nearly slipping, catching herself against the wall. Lyra's chest burned. Her lungs screamed for air. Spots danced at the edge of her vision.
She pushed herself harder, heading for the stairwell at the end of the corridor.
She stumbled into the stairwell, gripping the railing as dizziness hit her full force.
Lyra stumbled out of the stairwell and into a dim corridor she didn't recognize. The lighting here was weak, one of the ceiling bulbs flickered faintly.
At the very end of the hall, there was a metal door. A red EXIT sign glowed faintly above it.
Relief flooded her so fast it almost hurt and she ran towards it. Her footsteps echoed too loudly in the narrow corridor. Her arm throbbed and her vision blurred at the edges again.
She reached the door and grabbed the handle. Locked. She yanked harder, but it didn't budge.
"No, no, no-" she whispered under her breath, shaking the handle again.
Footsteps echoed somewhere behind her, it was coming closer.
Lyra pressed her back against the cold metal door, chest heaving. Her legs felt weak, she couldn't outrun anyone like this.
A shadow stretched across the floor in front of her. This is it, she squeezed her eyes shut for half a second, bracing herself.
But nothing happened. Her eyes snapped open. Black shoes, immaculate, then the rest of him. Kieran.
He stepped fully into the faint light of the corridor, expression unreadable. Lyra stared at him blankly, mind scrambling to process.
"You-" she breathed. For a second, she couldn't even decide whether to feel relief or dread. She stared at him like he wasn't real.
"There's-" Her chest rose and fell too fast. The words wouldn't come properly. "She... the nurse-" Lyra swallowed, gripping the cold metal door behind her for balance. "She's chasing me. She⌠took too much blood⌠there's bags... a whole closet full-"
The corridor tilted. Kieran stepped closer, something shifting in his expression as he took in her state.
"She gave me something," Lyra forced out. "Another injection. I...I woke up and everyone was gone and she-"
Her knees buckled slightly, the floor seemed to move beneath her feet.
"I feel...so dizzy-" she whispered, barely audible now. Her fingers loosened from the door, the world went white at the edges. Then darkness.