Chapter 12- Ally meets Arvia
"Come on—aah—!"
Arvia stumbled out of her room, her feet unsteady as she swayed forward, eyes flaring wide with panic.
Her body leaned precariously—on the verge of collapse—until a firm hand gripped her shoulder from the side, stopping her fall just in time.
She flinched, breath caught in her throat, her body freezing from the sudden touch.
"Y-You..." she stammered, turning her gaze to the figure beside her.
It was a nurse. Short black hair framed a face that was eerily perfect—pale, clean, completely untouched by makeup. But what truly unsettled her were those eyes. Black pupils. No reflection. Just depthless, opaque voids that absorbed light instead of reflecting it.
The woman was smiling, but not in a comforting way. Her lips curled upward in a small, amused grin that seemed to mock rather than soothe.
Arvia’s breath hitched.
"It’s Ally. Are you alright?" the nurse asked casually, winking.
Arvia opened her mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come. A strange numbness crept through her chest and limbs, as though her mind had been plunged into a dark, fog-filled space. The hallway around her faded into the background, sounds dulled, as if she stood alone with this woman in a warped, shadowed bubble.
A subtle panic began to rise.