This had to be hell.
There was no other explanation.
When I woke fully,I had no idea how much time had passed. My body was in pure agony, my skin raw from days of soaking through the bedding with sweat and slick. I was so weak and stiff that even shifting was impossible without more pain.
Worst of all, there was no sign of my pack.
They had truly abandoned me. Left me to suffer.
My lips were cracked and bleeding. I dragged my tongue across them but it barely helped. My mouth was just as dry.
Something was wrong. I needed help, but I had no one.
My phone was beside me where it had been for days, long dead now.
For hours, I stayed there, working up enough energy to curl my fingers around the dormant device.
With my free hand, I gripped the damp sheets and pulled myself forward. Pain lanced through me, ripping a cry from my throat. My body protested every movement, but survival kept me going.
I moved inch by inch, teeth clenching hard enough that my jaw protested.
I’d gone more than a week without food or water. If not for my biology, I’d already be dead.
There was nothing left for my body to draw from. Tears stung my eyes, but without moisture, nothing could fall.
Just outside the door, the pain overwhelmed me. My eyes slipped closed before I could stop them.
When they opened again, minutes or hours later, I continued my slow crawl forward.
Fear surged through me as I dragged myself from room to room.
Relief nearly shattered me completely when I spotted my charging cord dangling from the wall. I wouldn’t even have to stand.
The minutes crawled by as I waited for my phone to finally respond. My eyes stayed glued to the screen, gritty and burning. If I passed out again without calling for help, I knew I wouldn’t wake up.
“Please,” I whispered. My voice was hoarse and hollow. I knew I would only get one shot at this.
Calling an ambulance should have been my first instinct, but I was terrified I couldn’t answer their questions. Instead, I called my brother. He was a few hours away, but he had all my information. He’d get me help.
Conrad was the one person in my life who had never let me down.
No matter where he was, I knew he’d answer.
The screen finally lit up, and a dry sob ripped from my chest. My shaking fingers managed the call, his face filling the screen. I didn’t realize how long it had been since talking to someone else, but hearing his voice was the lifeline I needed.
“Baby sister!” Conrad’s smile disappeared the second he saw me. Panic took over. “Lana, what’s going on? Are you okay?”
“No,” I croaked, shuddering violently now as my body started to shut down. “I need help, Conrad. I don’t want to die.”
I was shaking too hard to see him clearly now, but the rumble of his voice kept me from falling asleep. I clung to it like the last thread of hope it was.
Time had no meaning anymore. I was floating somewhere in between, barely surviving.
Voices echoed in the house as people rushed through the cavernous halls, the ones that felt like a mausoleum now. Fancy, cold, and devoid of life. I was just the newest victim.
“Mrs. Flynn?” a new voice asked. It was unfamiliar.
When no words escaped me, Conrad answered, his voice sharp with panic.
