Chapter 6 - The Unraveling Layers
Chunks of heavy white plaster flew across the sterile hospital floor as Clara aggressively cut through the thick layers. Arthur watched in paralyzed horror, unable to comprehend the anatomical impossibility unfolding right before his eyes. The arm inside the cast was not broken; instead, it was unnaturally swollen, wrapped in thick black bandages that pulsed with a slow, organic heartbeat. Evelyn frantically fumbled through her designer handbag, her fingers wrapping around a small, unlabeled vial of pills. Clara noticed the movement instantly, using the tip of her shears to knock the glass vial out of Evelyn’s hand, shattering it against the tiles. A pungent chemical odor filled the air, instantly confirming Clara's darkest suspicions about the medication prescribed to the boy. Leo suddenly arched his back off the bed, his mouth opening wide as a cloud of fine, black dust billowed out from the freshly cut gap in the plaster.
