Page 85 of Ward D
Jade’s eyes soften. Maybe this will work. Maybe she really will rethink what she’s about to do and change her mind.
But then Damon bursts out into loud laughter. “Jade, you aren’t seriously falling for this bullshit, are you?”
If we ever had a moment, it’s now broken. “No. Don’t be stupid.” She looks up at the clock on the wall. “Let’s do this.”
There’s no way to stop this. It’s just me versus the two of them. They’re going to knock me out, then they’re going to burn down Ward D. And there’s nothing I can do about it. I might have a chance if it were just Jade, but I don’t have a chance against Damon. His upper arms are bulging with tight muscles—he’s very strong. After all, he killed Nicole with one blow to the head.
There’s no way out.
56
Iback away down the hallway, knowing there’s nothing behind me besides the door with a lock I can’t open. Damon has put the paperweight back in the pocket of his scrubs, and he’s coming at me with nothing but his bare hands. Which is enough, unfortunately.
“Don’t make this harder on yourself, Amy,” Jade says. “Believe me, you donotwant to be awake when this place starts to burn down. We’re doing you a huge favor.”
“We’re very nice people,” Damon adds.
“Please,” I whimper. “Please don’t do this.”
My head is spinning. Between the two of them coming at me and the fumes of the paint thinner, it’s hard to think straight. I hit something solid and almost stumble. I have backed up into the door to Ward D. The green keypad is glowing, taunting me. I could’ve left when I had a chance and I didn’t do it. I will pay for that stupidity for the rest of my life, which will be exceptionally short.
Jade grips the syringe in her right hand. “Okay, grab her arms.”
“No!” I cry.
Damon starts to reach for me and I brace myself, vowing to fight as hard as I can against him, even though Will was bigger and stronger and he couldn’t successfully fight him off. I may be doomed, but it doesn’t matter. I’m still going to fight.
But the offensive move never comes. Out of nowhere, Damon’s face morphs into a mesh of white lines. He screams and claws at his cheeks.
“Go web!” a voice yells out.
I stare at the scene unfolding in front of me. It takes me a moment to figure out what just happened, and when I do, I can’t quite believe it. It’s Spider-Dan. He came out of freaking nowhere and dropped a web constructed out ofdental flossonto Damon’s face. And now he is tightening the web, cutting off Damon’s airway.
Spider-Dan is stronger than he looks. Also, youcanmake a spiderweb out of dental floss, apparently. I can’t believe it—Cameron was right.
Thanks, Cam.
“Stop that, you lunatic!” Jade screams.
She tries to lunge for Spider-Dan with the syringe, and if I’ve ever had a moment, this is it. I jump at Jade with all my might and knock her down, the syringe flying from her fingers. Spider-Dan and Damon are tussling on the floor, and I’m coming at Jade with everything I’ve got.
I’ve never been in a fight before though. I’m willing to bet Jade has, and on top of that, she is freakishly strong. The syringe has flown off across the hallway, but she is still able to overpower me and put her weight on top of me. I’m starting to wish I were one of those med students who gorged myself when I was nervous instead of starving myself. I could use an extra twenty or thirty pounds right now.
“You are not getting out of here alive,” Jade hisses in my face, bits of spittle flying into my eyes. “You’re not going to run off and live your dream life and have your dream job while I rot away in a mental institution for the rest of my life. It’s not fair!”
There’s a gasping noise coming from next to me. Spider-Dan is on top of Damon, tightening the web around his neck. Jade doesn’t even seem to notice though. She is completely focused on me. She claims I wasn’t her target tonight, but I don’t believe that.
“Whatever else happens,” she says, “it all ends tonight for you, girlie.”
And then her hands wrap around my neck.
57
Ican’t breathe.
The weight of Jade’s body is crushing my abdomen, and her fingers are crushing my windpipe. I reach out and try to claw at her, attempting to scratch her in the face, but she’s got leverage on me, and with each breath that I don’t get to take, it gets harder and harder.
I’m starting to see spots in my eyes. My arms go limp at my side, and I realize how easy it would be to just give in. It’s not a good thing that I’m thinking that way, but I don’t know if I have the energy to fight this woman.
