ASHES OF HER MERCY
I closed my eyes, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird, counting the seconds until my freedom, my identity, and my life were formally taken from me.
"Time to go under," Sterling murmured.
The sharp prick of the needle bit into my skin. Almost instantly, a wave of liquid ice rushed up my vein, spreading through my chest, thick and heavy. My limbs turned to lead. The harsh white lights overhead began to stretch and blur, melting into long streaks of silver. The rhythmic beep of the heart monitor slowed, sounding as if it were underwater.
My eyelids grew impossibly heavy. I couldn't lift my hand. I couldn't speak. I was slipping into the dark, helpless ocean of anesthesia,