plans of moving until she knew she could. Slowly, she pumped her fist to get the blood pumping faster. The faster her blood flowed, the quicker the sedation would wear off. She would only get one chance at an escape. If she got caught, chances were they would lock her up even tighter. Timing would be everything.
“I need to get another vial of serum and check on our other guest. Give her another tranquilizer just to be on the safe side.” Dr. Phenix suggested then walked out of the room.
Henry had his back to her. No doubt filling another syringe. This was her chance.
Wait for it, the voice insisted.
She needed to make her move. Looked like there was only one person in the room. She could easily wait until he left, but by then, he would have already sedated her. He would lock the doors on the way out. Henry walked over to her, syringe in hand. As he drew near, she could hear his heart beating in his chest. Her mouth became dry, and she resisted the urge to swallow.
“Now!” the voice said when Henry came up next to the bed.
With no warning, she sprang off the bed. Henry didn’t even have time to jump back before she pounced on him. She bit his neck with all her might, ripping flesh from his body. It felt like instinct to go for his neck, but whose instinct? The thought of his blood being in her mouth sickened her. She spit the blood out and let Henry fall to the floor.
“Eww, that’s gross,” she said quietly, glaring at the lifeless man on the floor. “That’s what you get for shooting me in my ass, you bastard.” She kicked him.
She had to admit the blood didn’t taste that bad. Pulling herself together, she searched for the keys she saw him with earlier. Grabbing them from his front pocket, she went to the door and eased it open. The hall looked clear. She ran to the far end and didn’t look back. Covered in blood, her ass no doubt hung out of her hospital gown, she slipped out the service entrance.
She only saw darkness. How long had she been in there? All day or a couple of days? She couldn’t tell. Weeks could have passed, and she would have been none the wiser.
Footsteps sounded on the concrete, coming closer. Mara ran to a nearby column and quickly hid behind it. She peeked out just enough to see Frank, the night shift security guard, walk through the door she’d just exited. She could run to him for help, but she didn’t know who to trust. He might already know what Dr. Phenix was doing and would take her back to the basement.
She needed to get away from here and get help for the others. Would her car still be on the side of the road or hidden in a ditch somewhere? No way could she hitch a ride. She needed a phone. She wanted to call the police, but Dr. Phenix had lunch with Sheriff Langley often. She could contact Xeon; he was the only person she could trust.
After dashing across the walkway, she stayed to the shadows. The cover of night would lend a hand in concealing her. Running around in a hospital gown would draw too much attention to herself.
I’ve got this, the voice said in her mind.
Her stomach twisted. The cramps were not as painful this time. She bit her lip to keep from crying out when the change took over. She dropped to the ground, black fur sprouted from her arms and legs. She tried to stay close to the wall, so no one would witness her transformation.
While in her shifter form, she’d be able to hide in the shadows better. Her black body blended in with the darkness. If someone happened to see her, at a glance, they might think they saw a large dog. If they did recognize a panther, they’d probably think they needed more sleep.
She didn’t want to go home. Dr. Phenix had her address and would probably send someone after her the moment he realized she was gone. Instead, she went in the opposite direction. The more Mara got used to being on all fours, the faster she ran. Before long, she was racing at top speed. She didn’t pause at intersections because she didn’t want to chance someone seeing her. Only when lights were coming did she stop and crouch out of sight.
Just when