Jazmyne shrieked. The sound pierced the quiet room.

She swung her leg back. She tried to shake Amari off. Amari locked her jaw. Her teeth sank deeper into the flesh. Warm blood filled her mouth. It tasted like metal.

Delma lunged forward. Her hands grabbed a fistful of Amari's tangled hair. She yanked backward. Her muscles strained.

Amari flew backward. Her spine slammed into the drywall. The impact knocked the air from her lungs. She slid down the wall. Her knees hit the floor.

Jazmyne clutched her bleeding leg. Her face twisted. She stomped toward Amari. She raised her foot. The pointed heel of her stiletto drove straight into Amari's stomach.

Amari folded in half. A wet groan scraped up her throat. She clutched her stomach. Her vision blurred.

Delma turned back to the bed. She noticed the crumpled crayon drawing resting on the white sheet. She snatched it up.

She held the paper in front of Amari's face. She ripped it straight down the middle.

Amari's eyes stretched wide. She pushed a trembling hand into the air. Her fingers grasped at nothing.

Delma sneered. She tore the halves into quarters. Then eighths. She threw the shredded pieces into the air. The bits of paper fluttered down. They landed on Amari's bruised cheeks.

The vibration from Delma kicking the bed frame finally dislodged a primary monitoring electrode from Evalyn's chest. The heart monitor beside the bed instantly spiked. The steady beep turned into a rapid, frantic alarm indicating a lost signal.

Under the blanket, Evalyn's index finger twitched. The joint bent a fraction of an inch.

Inside Evalyn's paralyzed body, rage slammed against her ribs. Her brain screamed. Her muscles remained locked.

Jazmyne grabbed the metal IV pole. She swung it down. The heavy base crashed into Amari's shoulder.

Amari's vision went black at the edges. The pain radiated down her arm. She kept her eyes locked on the oxygen tube connected to her mother's face.

Delma glared at the glaring red lights on the monitor. The alarm was deafening. Her jaw tightened.

"Forget the plug. The nurses will come running." Delma snapped. She looked down at Amari. "Let's deal with this little rat first."

Delma bent over. Her hands clamped around Amari's thin ankle. She pulled.

Amari's fingernails scraped against the linoleum. The sound was a high-pitched screech. She tried to find a grip. There was nothing.

Delma yanked the door open. She dragged Amari out into the hallway. Amari's body bumped across the floor.

Three people standing by the vending machine turned to look, their faces pale with shock. Jazmyne stepped out. She glared at them, her eyes wide and manic. "Mind your own business! This is a family matter!" she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. One man reached into his pocket for a phone, but his wife frantically grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Terrified of the wealthy, unhinged women, the people looked away. They quickly stepped back into their rooms and locked their doors.

Delma pulled Amari over the metal threshold of the doorway. Amari's forehead slammed into the metal track. Skin split. Hot blood dripped into her eye.

Amari twisted her neck. She looked back into the room. She looked at the bed.

Jazmyne grabbed the door handle. She slammed the door shut.

Inside the quiet room, the monitor kept blaring. A single, boiling tear slipped from the corner of Evalyn's closed eye. It rolled down her pale cheek and soaked into the pillow.

Delma tossed Amari onto the wet grass of the backyard. Mud splattered against Amari's face. The cold seeped through her torn overalls.

Kyler walked out of the back door. He held a thick leather leash. At the end of the leash, a massive Rottweiler strained against the collar.

Kyler laughed. He walked over and kicked Amari in the ribs. His sneaker connected with a dull thud.

He pulled a coil of rough nylon rope from his pocket. He grabbed Amari's arms. He twisted them behind her back. He wrapped the rope around her wrists and tied her to the trunk of the large oak tree. The bark scraped her skin raw.

The Rottweiler lunged forward. Its jaws snapped inches from Amari's face. Saliva flew from its teeth.

Amari squeezed her eyes shut. Her body shook violently. She pressed her head back against the tree. She waited for the teeth to sink in.

Kyler unclipped the leash. He dropped it in the mud.

The dog roared. It lunged at Amari. Its teeth caught the leg of her overalls and ripped the fabric.

Back at the hospital, Nurse Jenna pushed the door to Room 302 open, her eyes wide with panic. The heart monitor was flashing red. She sprinted toward the bed to check the disconnected leads.

On the bed, Evalyn's eyelids snapped open. Her sclera was entirely red with broken blood vessels.

She gasped. Air rushed into her lungs. Her chest heaved up and down. The sudden expansion burned her ribs.

She focused all her energy on her right shoulder. Her muscles trembled. Her arm lifted an inch off the mattress.

Her hand found the plastic mask on her face. She gripped the edge. She ripped it off. The elastic band snapped against her cheek.

She reached for her left hand. She grabbed the IV line. She yanked it out. Blood spurted from the vein and dripped onto the white sheets.

Nurse Jenna froze, letting out a startled gasp. "Mrs. Dale? You're-"

Evalyn didn't have the strength to speak. She threw her dead weight sideways. She rolled her body to the edge. She slid off the mattress. Her atrophied legs gave out instantly. Her knees slammed into the hard floor. The impact sent a shockwave up her spine.

"Help! I need a doctor!" Nurse Jenna screamed, turning toward the hallway.

Evalyn bit down on her tongue. She couldn't let them sedate her. She dragged her heavy, useless legs across the linoleum, using her forearms to pull herself toward the emergency wall phone mounted low near the baseboard.

She reached the phone. Her fingers shook so hard she dropped the receiver twice. She picked it up. She slammed her palm against the single red speed-dial button.

The line clicked. A long, electronic verification tone buzzed in her ear.

Her heart hammered against her sternum. Sweat dripped down her neck.

The tone stopped. A deep male voice spoke.

Evalyn's lips parted. They were cracked and bleeding. "Andres."

On the other end of the line, glass shattered against a hard floor.

Evalyn spoke fast. Her voice sounded like gravel. She gave the town name. She gave the address. She told him Amari was going to die.

Above her, medical staff rushed into the room, their voices a chaotic blur.

Evalyn dropped the phone. Her vision went black. She slumped against the wall, her body sliding down to the floor.

The ceramic coffee mug slipped from Andres's hand. It hit the marble floor of the Manhattan lab. It shattered into dozens of white shards.

Scalding coffee splashed onto his custom wool trousers. The heat burned his skin. He didn't flinch.

He gripped his phone. His knuckles turned stark white. The plastic casing creaked under his grip.

"Evalyn!" he yelled into the receiver.

Silence.

The lab door swung open. His assistant, Corinne, rushed in.

Andres ignored her. He lunged across the room to his computer terminal. His fingers hammered the keyboard. He typed in a Level 9 clearance password.

The screen flashed black, then green. A military-grade satellite tracking map appeared. He routed the incoming call signal.

A red dot blinked on the map. It locked onto a remote town in Pennsylvania.

He grabbed his suit jacket from the chair. He walked toward the door. He pulled a second phone from his pocket. He pressed the single red button. The family emergency line. The activation of that specific encrypted frequency sent a silent shockwave through a hidden global network.

On Wall Street, Barron sat at the head of a massive mahogany table. The CEO of a rival firm was speaking.

Barron's custom Patek Philippe watch vibrated. The face flashed a solid, blinding red.

Barron stood up. His thighs hit the heavy leather chair. It tipped backward and crashed onto the floor. He walked out of the room without a word.

At Harvard University, Elwin stood in front of a chalkboard. He was writing a complex economic equation.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out. He saw the red alert. He dropped the chalk. It shattered on the floor. He sprinted up the aisle and out the double doors.

In North Carolina, Colonel Johnie stood at the firing range. The smell of gunpowder hung in the air.

His adjutant ran up to him. He handed Johnie a flashing black comms device. Johnie looked at the screen. He handed his rifle to the adjutant. He turned and jogged toward the helipad.

In Hollywood, Finley stood on a dirt set. Cameras rolled. A massive explosion went off behind him.

His phone vibrated against his chest. He pulled it out. He read the screen. He ignored the director screaming. He sprinted past the cameras and the bewildered crew toward the edge of the lot, where his personal Ducati motorcycle was parked. He threw his leg over the leather seat. He twisted the throttle, the engine roaring to life, and sped off the lot into the California traffic.

Less than an hour later, on a private helipad overlooking the Hudson River, three black helicopters idled. The rotors spun, creating a deafening roar.

Andres stepped out of the elevator. He carried a silver trauma kit. He climbed into the lead chopper.

Barron walked up behind him. Ten men in black tactical gear flanked him. They carried assault rifles.

The downdraft from the blades whipped their clothes. It blew the loose trash off the roof.

The choppers lifted off the pad. They banked sharply to the southwest.

Inside the cabin, Barron's tablet screen showed Elwin, Johnie, and Finley connecting via a secure video link. They were already mobilizing their own private jets and tactical teams from their respective coasts, converging on the same coordinates. His eyes were dead, devoid of emotion.

Barron held a phone to his ear. He spoke to the Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner. The call lasted exactly ten seconds. Barron hung up.

The three helicopters tore through the cloud layer. They flew at maximum speed, cutting a straight line toward the target.