Elias's eyes shot open.
Fluorescent lights. Clean air. Machines beeping softly.
He was back in the hospital.
No gods. No sand. No war.
Just—
"Oh! He's up again!" a voice yelled.
Elias turned his head. His brother stood by the door, half-shouting to a nurse.
But Elias's heart was still racing.
Because in his mind, he could still hear it:
Click.
The hour hand had moved again.
The tick of the clock echoed in Elias's mind.
Click.
Click.
Click.
It was louder now—closer. A deep, endless sound that crawled under his skin, into his brain, until every part of him screamed to get away from it.
He jolted upright, his hands clutching at his ears. His breathing came in ragged gasps.
The clock on the wall above the bed was still ticking. He turned his head to look at it, eyes wide, his body freezing in terror.
It was just a normal clock. A hospital clock.
But to Elias, it wasn't normal. It was a ticking time bomb. Click. His pulse raced faster. Click. His blood boiled. Click. The hour hand moved.
"Hey, calm down, bro, it's me," a voice called out. Ray. Elias's brother.
He snapped his head toward him, the recognition momentarily clear, but his mind was still tangled in the echoes of that cursed sound.
"Snot rocket," Elias scoffed, trying to calm himself, but his voice came out strained.
Ray's expression shifted. He froze, then gasped. He looked at Elias with wide, worried eyes.
"We thought you were dead for a minute," Ray said, his voice still edged with disbelief.
The nurse, standing at the foot of Elias's bed, raised an eyebrow. She seemed ready to say something, but then, she just shook her head. Clearly, she wasn't sure whether to laugh or to be alarmed.
But Elias smirked, a little cocky despite the panic that still churned in him. "If death wants me, he's going to have to earn it."
Ray looked at the nurse, a bit uncomfortable with the atmosphere. "When can I take him home?" he asked, trying to shift the mood.
The nurse checked her clipboard. "Tomorrow," she replied. "He should be able to go home tomorrow."
Ray grinned and slapped Elias gently on the head. "Don't scare me like that again, little bro."
Elias flinched slightly but couldn't help but smile back at his brother. For a brief moment, he forgot about the clock, the turtle, and Theron. Maybe, just maybe, things could go back to normal.
But as the clock continued its relentless ticking, Elias couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.