The words after the initial declaration became a distant, muffled hum in Linsy’s ears. The world narrowed to a single, terrifying point: her mother. "I have to go! Now!" she cried, her voice a raw, panicked thing.

She turned to flee, but Michael’s hand, slick with his own blood, clamped around her arm like a manacle. A surge of adrenaline, primal and fierce, shot through her. "Let go of me!" she screamed, shoving him back with a strength she didn't know she possessed. "You heard him! It's ...