Page 125 of Devil's Iris

My fingers brush cool plastic beneath the bed, and I gasp with relief as I close my hand around the syringe and struggle back to my feet. My captive’s eyes go wide when she sees what I’m holding.

“No, please, don’t.”

“What’s in here?” I ask as I squint at the clear liquid in the syringe.

She just shakes her head frantically, mouth still stubbornly shut.

“Well, you’re in a hospital. I’m sure the medical staff can handle whatever this is—you’ll survive.” Guilt tries to rise, but Ishove it down. She was about to pump this into my veins without a second thought! I’m just protecting myself.

I walk up to her and grab one of her cuffed wrists. She starts thrashing, her legs kicking wildly as I remove the protective cap covering the needle. “It’s probably a sedative, right?” I glance down at her, and the way her lips thin and her pupils dilate confirms I’m right.

“Stop being such a big baby,” I mutter as I sink the needle into what I hope is a vein and depress the plunger, emptying the contents into her bloodstream.

“Mother… fucker,” she curses as the drug takes effect.

Done, I step back from her, tossing the empty syringe to the floor. She lets out a massive yawn, and I smirk, “Sleepy time. Night night.”

“Fork yew,” she slurs around another yawn.

And that’s my cue to leave.

Without a backward glance, I move towards the cart and pull my hair up into a tight bun, twisting and tucking the ends to change my appearance as much as possible.

Please don’t let the guards outside recognize me.

Gulping, I grip the cart’s handle and push it towards the door, keeping my head down as I step out. The guards’ eyes burn into me, but they don’t move to intercept me. I turn my cart towards the lobby, maintaining steady steps and even breathing.

Nobody stops me.

I fight the urge to increase my pace, rolling my shoulders like I’m just another bored hospital worker on a late-night stroll. As I round the corner at the end of the hallway, a quiet breath of relief leaks out. Another hallway stretches ahead of me, and I spot a door at the far end that might be my salvation.

Almost there.

When I reach the door, I park the cart against the wall andfling it open, grinning as cool night air embraces me. A back door. Jackpot.

“Nurse Becca?”

Fuck.

I stiffen at the voice, turning my head the slightest bit to see a nurse standing in an open doorway, looking confused. “I’m taking my break,” I tell her, and before she can respond, I quickly step outside and shut the door behind me.

Out of sight, I jog down the short flight of stairs into the back alley—I must have been on the first floor. As soon as my feet touch the pavement, the door I just exited opens, but I don’t look back to check who it is. I break into a sprint, each step a battle against the fog in my head and the weight pulling at my limbs.

The alley spits me onto the main street, and the hospital’s front entrance comes into view.

Just need a cab… or a car to hotwire… or?—

Pain explodes through my hip as tires squeal against asphalt. The world tilts sideways, and suddenly I’m staring up at the star-scattered sky, every bone in my body screaming in protest.

I got hit by a car.

A door opens and someone approaches. “Are you okay? You ran into the street so suddenly.”

It’s a man’s voice. I roll to my feet and look up at him. He takes one look at my face and inhales sharply. “Katie.”

He knows me.

My heart squeezes and I spin around, but before I can break into another run, strong arms wrap around me from behind and a sack drops over my head, plunging me into darkness as I fight like a wildcat.