Miriam leaned into Cole's arms.
"The System says if Lorna experiences genuine terror while she's conscious, or something that shatters her mentally, it should work..."
Before she even finished, Miriam collapsed.
"Miri!" All three screamed in unison, scooping her up and sprinting out of the room.
And after that, I supposed, came the moment they found me awake instead. The shock. The irritation. The barely concealed revulsion on their faces.
The footage froze.
I slumped back in the chair and let the despair swallow me whole.
My phone buzzed. I picked it up, and my body jerked upright.
Lorna, save me!
"Marilyn Marsh..." I choked through the agony and bolted for the door, reason gone. "You have to be okay!"
I should have known. Of course. The moment I woke up this time, they'd use my best friend's life to break me.
To bring Miriam back.
My thoughts were a tangled wreck. Grief, fury, and something close to hatred.
I barely made it out the door and into the car before the driver slammed the brakes, then wrenched the steering wheel hard.
The car flipped.
A black van plowed straight into us.
Men poured out and dragged me from the wreckage.
"Beat her!"