My breathing instantly stopped, and I could already feel my face become pale. I didn’t move a single tensed muscle, and kept my wide eyes locked ahead of me.
The doctor squinted back at me, also still and silent.
After about fifteen seconds, he blinked his focus away from me. He then readjusted his stare onto the far wall behind me.
He took a small step into my direction.
Only when he began to move did I allow myself to actually breathe once again.
My own eyes wandered around in front of me as I tried to force the color back into my cold skin. The doctor took another few strides past my side, leading him towards the body-shaped targets.
I didn’t turn around to watch him.
Instead, I listened as he paced clear to the far side of the room.
After approximately twenty steps, he fell to silence. I looked frantically left and right at the floor in front of me, a failed attempt to heal my anxiety.
The doctor remained completely quiet for the next minute or two. My muscles jumped underneath my skin when he actually did begin to walk again.
I picked up my breathing as his steps approached me, closer and closer. I could almost feel the air tickle the skin on my arms when he walked by my side again.
He advanced towards the nurse, who was only standing in the doorway. Before he even reached her, he growled under his breath.
“We'll keep her.” His voice was soft, but still echoed against the walls.
My eyes followed his body as it left the room. The nurse gazed over to me once he was completely gone and out of sight.
She looked me over a short moment, then made a gesture with her right hand towards the hallway.
I didn’t move.
Her eyes never left my figure, and she repeated her silent gesture, this time with one eyebrow raised.
My limbs remained stiff.
And I thought about the knife in my boot.
“Well, come on!” She eventually shouted out, her patience wearing thin.
I felt the urge to move this time, but I resisted.
The nurse broke her glare towards me with a sigh and a turning movement. She moved her head to the left for a second, then turned her whole body towards me. She took a few steps into my direction, her heels clicking against the hard floor. She held her hand out across her body, and used it to seize my left arm once she reached my position.
I looked down at her fingers, now tightly wrapped around me. My eyes then wandered up her side and refocused onto her face. She squinted back at mine, but only for a quick second.
Without a sound, she whipped back around and yanked my forearm forward.
“Ugh,” I inaudibly muttered. I only tried to resist her force after her initial pull, which defiantly didn’t do me much good.
She continued to tug my arm forward, and I gave minimal struggle back. I honestly wasn’t sure if wherever I was going was actually going be bad, or if struggling would even help me at this point.
Eventually, I decided to comply with the nurse.
The next time she jerked at my arm, I stepped forward. And the next time. And the next.
I allowed her to drag my body out of the room and into the hallway.
Once through the doorway, the nurse released me from her grip and walked farther in front of me. I stopped my own steps for a moment, though, and observed the hall we had just entered.
