"Are you okay?"


    Joel''s yell rang out.


    The man came to check on me while I was in a daze, only to be mmed against a wall. The impact seemed pretty heavy.


    He stared at me in confusion for a bit before opening his mouth to speak.


    "My goodness... Steven wasn''t blind after all... You''re definitely Stephanie..."


    I furrowed my brows. The pain on my head felt like it was about to split my entire body into pieces.


    "Doesn''t it feel ufortable toe back to life?" I asked in a raspy voice.


    That question confused me.


    Who was I asking?


    Myself? Or someone else?


    Currently being pressed against the wall, Joel''s body froze before he started yelling, "That hurts, that hurts. Let go..."


    At the side, Rachel stared at me in shock. Zion and Eason also regained their senses and stepped forward to pry my hands away.


    "That was... quite professional," Eason said dazedly.


    Wasn''t that the hold they learned during training?


    Pressing someone against the wall with their arms twisted made it possible to maximize the impact dealt even if there was a huge disparity in strength. Rachel also drew a deep breath and tried to ease the awkwardness.


    "Stephie probably didn''t realize what she was doing," she said. She was struggling when she was unconscious earlier, maybe... she had a nightmare."


    I sharply let go of Joel and took a step back without saying anything.


    The man rolled his shoulders in pain and stared at me quizzically.


    I lowered my head and turned to look around. I felt oddly... foreign.


    "Stephie?" Rachel noticed something off about me and softly called my name.


    My hand seemed to reach for her throat instinctively, as if I didn''t want anyone around me.


    Her body stiffened as she looked at me anxiously.


    Eason rushed forward and tucked her behind him.


    "Did the fall make you mad?" He looked at me cautiously.


    I froze before looking down at my own hands. A wave of panic and helplessness washed over me.


    "It''s not me... it''s not me..."


    I didn''t know what I just did.


    Rachel pushed Eason away and clutched my hands nervously.


    "Stephie... it''s okay, don''t be afraid. I know you didn''t mean it. Don''t be afraid, let''s leave this ce and go home."


    "Why are you pretending?" Yasmin


    scoffed from behind. "Stop wasting


    our time if you''re not dead from the


    fall. Try to think of a way to leave this floor if you want to live! S


    She spoke coldly and purposely nced at Michel before strutting away.


    Michael furrowed his brow and looked at me with aplicated expression.


    I shot him a nce and knitted my forehead together wordlessly.


    "I checked out the entire floor. There are no exits or walkways. This floor is different from 17th, it''s filled with dividers.


    "They look like solid walls, but many are made of ster. There seems to be something going on behind some of them. I don''t dare to break any carelessly right now." S


    Michael exined his observations solemnly.


    It seemed like the fastest way to find the way out would be to work together.


    "That lunatic won''t give us so much time to look for an exit, I bet he has other things up his sleeve, like how he killed people during ckouts on the 9th floor." Joel berated before kicking a wall beside him.


    There was a loud bang-That wasnt a solid wall either.


    He furrowed his brows and took a step back. Then, he reached for a nearby ax and swung it at the wall.


    A thick smell of blood immediately wafted through the new gap in the wall.


    Everyone tensed.


    Outside, upon hearing themotion, Howard and his group of people also ran over, terrified that they''d be left behind.


    "Be careful, there should be something inside..." Eason followed closely behind Joel, clinging onto the edge of his shirt out of fear.


    Thetter shot him a look of contempt. "Don''t cling onto me."


    Eason froze before wiping his hands and rolling his eyes. "You think I want to?"


    "Stay away from me, or I''ll chop you up." Joel pointed the ax at him and asked him to stay further away.


    He took a few steps back and cautiously looked behind the wall.


    There was a dim light on the other side, and a floor filled with blood and bodies.


    Not human bodies... animals.


    "Dogs..." he pulled Joel aside. As a police officer, he entered first. Joel was still a teenager after all.Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    I stood glued to the ground. My feet didn''t obey me.


    "Stephie?" Rachel called.