a violent bang. The handle smashe

room. Her name tag read Brenda. She breathed

uttered. "You ruined Freddy's p

d yanked it down. Her eyes fell on the fresh

of breath, ran into the doorw

da's forearm. "You can't do this. Sh

r backward. Eleanor stumbled,

her right hand high into the air, her palm

ap des

eyes sna

r bicep, but she gritted her teeth, ignoring the violent tremor in her limb. Her fingers clamped around Brenda's descending wrist, stoppin

ock. She tried to yank her arm back,

leverage, pushing Brenda's joint past its natural limit, lettin

t pop echoed in

m. Her knees buckled instantly, and s

ness in her abdominal muscles and sat up straight, sweat beadin

ward, pulling her face inches away. Aspen's left hand released the broken wrist and clampe

hands over her mouth,

, devoid of any human warmth. She stared

hispered. Her voice was raspy fro

clawed frantically at the bedsheets, gasping for a

a fraction tighter. The cartil

weakly pointed a trembling finger towa

with her right hand, digging into the fabric pocket. Her finge

nda. Aspen opened her left hand and sho

tching her throat. She coughed violentl

e locked eyes with Eleanor, who

ave this building," Aspen said,

tically, tears spil

She swung her bare feet over the edge of the

pt her spine perfectly straight. She walked past the sobbing nurse on the