Shaking off the thought, I willed my legs to move. I slipped out of the bed with effort and then padded across the hospital room. The stale white walls and the smell of chemicals were overwhelming. I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and moving towards the door. It was a Herculean task—opening that door. I felt weak and dizzy. My feet were loud as I trudged forward.


    I was rather satisfied that I had managed to escape the room without being noticed. The reception area was empty, with the woman behind the desk nodding off. I snorted as I moved past her. I hoped that she would not wake up.


    At a distance, I heard themotion. I pushed my body forward, knowing well that they would find me if I wasn''t fast enough. I could hear them frantically calling for the guards.


    They missed me as they stormed past the wall I was standing behind. I slid past as the guards made a turn and finally stood in front of the elevator. Breathing a sigh of relief, I pushed the button and waited for the car to arrive.


    The door slid open and I found myself wedged between the doors before it was fully open. I bit back the sh of pain when I brushed my shoulder against the side of one of the sliding doors.


    There were definitely a few broken bones involved.


    I ground my teeth together as I waited for the elevator to reach the basement. The n had formed in my mind by the time I reached the first floor.


    I would choose a car, break into it and then drive it off to the nearest safe ce.


    My apartment was the first ce to go, I decided. I would load the ammunition, some clothes and all the cash I had in the apartment and then I would disappear. It would have been as easy as that.


    When the elevator pinged, I pushed myself off the elevator walls and waited to move out as soon as the door opened.


    The door slid open slowly.


    I froze as I saw the shadow of a man on the other side.


    That was it.


    There was no escaping.


    "Mia," he grinned as he stared at me. "If you''re done with the theatrics, they need to check you over." He motioned me to move to the other side and then stepped into the elevator.


    We remained silent for the rest of the ride. When the ping came again, I was too exhausted to look for another exit. I felt something being ced on my shoulder and craned my neck to look at him. I flinched in pain but managed to give him a pointed look.


    "I don''t want anyone to see you half-naked," he shrugged. He patted the jacket and then ced his hand on my back. He guided me through the hallways and never once insisted to help me walk.


    That was the thing about Jacob; he never made me feel weak.


    Apparently, he never deceived me, either.


    He was probably the only one.


    It seemed like the entire staff was running up and down the floor. The amount of noise they produced was giving me a raging headache. I wanted to throw something at them, but I knew that my body would not cooperate. I think Jacob would have helped me if I asked him.


    .


    It took me a while to realize that I had somehow lost my voice.


    My throat was swollen, and it hurt whenever I tried to swallow. It felt as it I was rubbing sandpaper against it. I just answered with affirmative or negative gestures when I was asked any question. Anything beyond that was hopeless.


    I quite enjoyed the frustration on their faces, though.


    They had no clue why I was in the condition that I was; they just knew that all cameras near the room where to be deactivated and the doctors on the floor had to be approved by Jacob. He had proudly boasted about how he had bribed them into clearing all the patients to another facility so that there was no unauthorized person on the particr floor.


    I was a bit impressed, but I couldn''t understand why he was going to such extents to keep me protected. It was not as if I was of any use to the organization any longer. What personal gains could he possibly have?