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Chapter 4

Four

Mina

After the museum fire, there was only darkness until I dreamed. At least, I think it was a dream. I was lying in a hospital bed. Some kind of breathing apparatus covered my face. Through my slightly open eyes I could see sickly yellow walls and slime green curtains. My mom was there in her nurse's uniform, brushing the hair out of my face. Tears streamed down her cheeks. People always said we look exactly alike, but I don't see it. Her eyes are hazel. I have my dad's eyes, and I hate them.

A man in a white coat came in. He was tall with bushy brown hair and a maroon tie.

"How is she, doctor?" My mom said.

"She suffered an acute inhalation injury. The lab is analyzing her blood. We'll know which chemicals she inhaled soon, and then implement the best treatment."

"What's the prognosis?"

The doctor hesitated.

"Please," my mom said. "Give me the truth. I know the boy she was with is dying."

The doctor nodded. "The fumes she inhaled are killing her."

My mom sobbed.

The doctor put a reassuring arm around her. The doctor seemed uncomfortable with this display of emotion. "Why don't you take a break. You've been here for twenty-four hours. Nothing will happen to her while you're gone."

My mom smiled weakly and fluffed her hair. Her typical behavior around men. "Thank you. I do need to freshen up." She glanced at me one last time and left.

As soon as the door closed, the doctor's appearance changed. A chill ran down my spine as he shrank about a foot, his brown shaggy hair turned long and blond, and his clothes morphed into a hospital orderlies' blue scrubs.

He spoke in a deep voice. "I wish I could stay and help you and John, to guide you on the path I'm pushing you toward. But if I do, the Annihilators hunting me will find you before you're ready. And if that happens, they'll kidnap you and do such horrible experiments on you that you'll wish you'd died here."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He opened it and took a large syringe filled with a swirling silver liquid out. "I don't know if you'll remember any of this, but if you do, I want you to know that I've seen an apocalypse. It's close. And I chose you and John because you are two of only a handful of people who can prevent it."

He leaned forward and injected the silver serum into my arm.

Burning pain slithered up my arm and raced through my entire body. The pain built inside me as if I was about to explode.

The hospital room faded. In its place, I saw the world burning. Plumes of fire in every city on earth. People screaming in agony. Billions dead. And then darkness swallowed me.