All Chapters of Ashes Beneath The Skin: Chapter 11

The wind shifted, yet not a single breeze stirred outside. Instead, it was a palpable change within the walls of Southridge Hospital—an almost electric tension that vibrated through the sterile corridors. A faint metallic scent, reminiscent of blood and machinery, clung to the air, a haunting reminder of the unnatural.Kael felt it first, a primal instinct prickling at the nape of his neck. He turned sharply, his heart pounding in his chest as his eyes narrowed toward the far end of the ward where shadows pooled. Everything appeared still—no alarms blaring, no footsteps shuffling along the linoleum floor. But the silence was deceptive, hiding an unsettling kind of wrongness that no monitor could detect or quantify.Ember stirred in her bed, her golden eyes darting anxiously toward the same darkened hallway that had captured Kael’s attention. “They’re close,” she whispered, her voice barely above a breath, laced with fear and urgency.Kael crossed the room in two decisive strides, crou