I barely felt the pain anymore. Maybe I had gotten used to it. Maybe adrenaline had numbed everything but the need to survive.
The fight was a blur now—every strike, every dodge, every desperate move sending fire through my limbs. But I kept going. Kept pushing forward. Until the last soldier finally crumpled to the ground.
I took a step—then staggered.
A sharp, gut-wrenching pain coiled in my stomach, twisting violently as warmth surged up my throat. My body lurched before I could stop it, and blood gushed past my lips.
My knees buckled.
"Madam!"
Hands caught me just before I hit the floor. The world swayed as rough voices surrounded me, pressing against my wounds, wrapping bandages around my ribs and arms.
"Jamal sent us! Stay with us, madam!"
I forced a shaky breath, blinking as my vision blurred. The cold sting of antiseptic met my skin, followed by the tug of gauze being secured tightly around my arm. The scent of sweat, metal, and distant smoke filled my lungs.
Someone pressed a damp cloth to my forehead.
"You're losing too much blood," one of the medics murmured, his voice taut with concern.
"I'm fine," I rasped, though my body told a different story.
The worst of the dizziness was fading. My breathing, though ragged, was no longer erratic. Pain still gripped my limbs, but I could move.
I could fight.
I swallowed thickly, wiping the last trace of blood from my lips when the lights overhead flickered violently. Their glow spasming like a dying heartbeat. A deep, electric hum filled the room, crawling under my skin like an omen.
The momentary relief didn't last.
Every strand of hair on my body stood on end.
The medics felt it too.
One of them—still tying off a bandage on my arm—froze. Her breath hitched.
Her fingers trembled.
"What the hell—?"
A deep, distant growl of thunder rumbled outside.
The nurse beside me gasped softly, her lips parting in realization.
"My kids—"
And in the next millisecond—
A blinding flash.
Lightning.
It tore through the ceiling with a deafening crack, striking directly where I stood.
"Miss, look out!"
A body slammed into mine, shoving me hard just as the bolt struck.
The impact sent me sprawling, but I barely registered it. My ears rang, my pulse hammering.
A choked gasp.
I whipped my head around.
The nurse who stood where I was, lay on the ground, her body rigid, her eyes locked onto mine in pure terror. Her hair stood wildly on end, static crackling around her.
Her eyes rolled back.
And then—
Silence.
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
Her lifeless body collapsed with a sickening thud, smoke curling from her skin.
The remaining medic stumbled back, his hands trembling, his mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out.
The lights surged back on.
Steady.
Cold.
Slowly, the lights revealed a figure—floating toward us, eyes white.
The remaining nurse whimpered, clutching her chest.
I forced myself to stand, my body screaming in protest.
As the dust settled, I swallowed hard.
"Michelle?"
She hovered just above the ground, her expression empty. Wind howled through the open space, rattling equipment, sending loose papers fluttering across the floor.
"Michelle!" I tried again, my voice sharp, desperate.
The nurse beside me was trembling violently. "Miss, I don't think she can hear you."
Michelle descended slowly, her bare feet finally touching the floor.
Then, she tilted her head—
Glaring into my eyes, her expression vacant—like a machine locking onto its prey.
I clenched my jaw, forcing my aching body to stay upright. Michelle didn't move. She just stood there, hovering inches above the ground, her lifeless white eyes fixed on me like I was the only thing that existed in her world.
"Run," I whispered. Then, sharper—"Go! Now!"
The remaining nurse hesitated for half a second, her breath coming in ragged gasps. But one look at Michelle's face—empty, predatory—sent her bolting.
Her footsteps echoed against the floor, a sharp rhythm of panic. She was nearly at the exit—
Then Michelle clapped.
A deafening boom ripped through the space, and the air itself twisted violently.
Wind roared like a beast unleashed. It spiraled into a vicious cyclone, swallowing everything in its path—medical trays, shattered glass, loose equipment—all spinning toward me with bone-crushing force.
I barely had time to brace.
The gust slammed into me, lifting me clean off my feet. My body twisted midair, weightless against the storm's fury.
For a split second, I saw the nurse disappear around the corner.
Then the wind flung me backward.
The ceiling blurred. The walls stretched away. The floor raced toward me—
I tensed my core, forcing my energy outward. Just before impact, my body jerked to a stop, my feet skidding against the ground as I landed upright.
I spat out blood and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. My fingers curled into a fist.
"Okay," I huffed, rolling my shoulders despite the searing pain. My lips twisted into a sharp grin. "That's how you wanna play?"
I lifted off the ground, energy pulsing through my veins.
"Let's play."
Michelle's lips curved into a blank smirk, eerie and hollow.
Lightning crackled through the air. The walls groaned against the pressure.
Then—
We lunged at each other.
The world blurred in a violent collision of power.