The silence was broken only by the soft, terrible hissing. My skin crawled, and something brushed over my ankle. I jumped and screamed, slapping at the floor, but there was nothing I could do.
“Open the door! Please let me out!” My fists pounded until they were raw. Nobody came.
The air was so hot and heavy that I started breaking out in rashes. My body itched and burned and I couldn’t stop scratching. Hours dragged by until my voice gave out, and I collapsed into the corner, shivering and gasping for air.
When the door finally creaked open, I thought I was saved. I pushed myself up against the wall, barely able to stand. Wilbert was standing there, the light behind him. For one heartbeat I thought maybe he would pull me out.
But his voice was colder than ice. “Hold her down.”
Two bodyguards rushed me before I even understood. They pinned my arms, and someone forced my jaw open. A bitter liquid flooded my throat, and I choked until I was coughing blood into my lap.
“What… what did you give me?” My voice broke as the burning spread through my chest.