Noctura

sixty eight

lost chapter

HER EYES snap open.

They're wide with fear as memories flood her brain.

That Noctura, breaking her wrist, biting her shoulder. The other Noctura, supposedly Seunghoon's friend. Falling unconscious.

And now she's here, in a hospital room.

She hears a beeping sound from somewhere close. She looks around to find a monitor that shows her heart rate is way above normal.

But no one comes rushing in.

She sees there's another hospital bed on the other end of the room. A man sits in there, a large bandage around his leg and another around his eye.

War.

Her eyes continue scanning the room until they fall on the note sitting delicately on the table beside her bed.

She reaches for the note with her left hand but quickly stops once she realizes there's a white cast around her left wrist. Instead, she tries using her right hand to grab the note, reaching over herself to get to it. She has to stretch some and the IV on the inside of her elbow pulls a bit, but she's able to grab the note.

Teagan —

I've trusted you with important information before. I'm trusting you again, trusting you will do what you will with this information for the good of the people, for the good of Kraephis...

Her head seems to be throbbing even more after finishing the letter.

Is it even real? Is it even true?

It has to be. It's from Yoon and... Teagan doesn't think he would lie about this. Especially not right now, in the middle of a war.

This could put a stop to the war.

She has to try, at least.

She knows what she has to do now. She just has to get out of this hospital.

It doesn't seem like any nurses or doctors will be rushing in here any time soon. And since Kraephis is in the middle of a war, there are probably a dozen more people who need this bed more than Teagan does.

She feels fine enough to get out of here and go do what she needs to do.

It's difficult, but she's able to use her fingers on her left hand to rip the IV out of her right arm, as gently as she can. It still stings and starts to bleed a bit but she stands up carefully and grabs a bandage from the counter in the room. She places it on the inside of her elbow with much difficulty, but she's able to do it nonetheless.

She grabs her jacket lying on the end of the hospital bed and throws it around her.

Now, she's set.

She leaves the hospital, determined.