ing to you. Zo
ld, sharp enough to g
ainst it, the world around her breaking apart into fragments--warm orange light, the
dead? Was this hell, or
arching for something to steady herself, and found
m, something was beating--faint
on a hundred times. The family photo on the wall. All of it told her the same th
was a face twisted with ir
r while their daughters screamed, who'd sat in a ro
the memory surged back, precise as a key sliding in
er permission--barely a whis
to me. It's too dangerous out there.
to me. It's too dangerous out there.
ot a syllable out of place. The silence that followed
he opened her eyes--came roaring back to life. It was real. Someone, some
the virus. Before the screams she knew she'd hear for t
here? Alive, somewhere
ever hurt them again. This time would be different. She wo
before she could--not her own, but something clear, flat, edged with an e
i
ost. Welc
. The words tumbled out before sh
was a sharp jolt of
um
ucked in a breath, both arms flying up to shield the b
en listening
e only a child raised to believe he was the center of the universe could ma
s locked on his. "Jake Brooks. Listen carefully. If you touch me or my daughte
it took for everyone to understand: this wasn't the Ivy the
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