e to

y arm felt like it was detached, my leg a mess of shredded meat. I could feel the ro

ll alive,

hear them. The voi

ce said, a hint of urgency in its tone. "Her vitals are

ulation. The torn flesh, the

through again, s

seventy-two hours. Th

uffering. He had set a timer on my agony. Seventy-two hours. T

nights perfecting the vaccine that saved hundreds of people, that saved him, and this was my reward. I had dedicate

society. He held my hand, his touch warm and reassuring, his smile so convincing. What a

shoulder, shaking its head like a dog with a toy. A scream tore from my lungs, raw

reatures, mixed with the metallic tang of my blood. It was the smell

e world fell apart. We were sitting on the floor, surrounded by boxes, planning our future. Mark was talking abo

lie, a carefully constructed fantasy he had sold me while planning my destruction. Our child, the one we never had, felt like another ghost in the room, a