The silver thermometer didn’t just break—it melted, seeping right into June’s skin. The liquid wriggled like an insect, digging deeper and deeper into her palm. She gasped, backing away from the water, expecting blood or a wound, but her hand looked untouched. Her skin was flawless. All she saw was a faint purple glow pulsing beneath her flesh—a strange, second heartbeat that wasn’t hers.“June? What’s wrong?” Dante stepped toward her, worry etched into his face, pale and tight.He reached for her shoulder and she jerked away, his touch burning like a coal. She felt it now—inside her chest, behind her steady heart, another rhythm. Colder, mechanical, heavy. It sounded like the slow ticking of a giant clock in a house where everything was dead.“Don’t touch me!” June gasped, clutching at her chest, fingers digging into her medical scrubs. “Dante, the people... look at them!”All the villagers lined up on the beach were sitting motionless, frozen in the sand. They didn’t blink. They did
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