504.
Sera bolted upright as wave after wave of electricity poured through her body like a tide she couldn't stop.
Her mouth opened in a wordless scream as her brain scrambled to catch up with what her nerves already knew.
Pain.
Sharp. Total. Immediate. Pain.
Her back arched violently against the restraints as every muscle seized at once. The sound that tore from her throat wasn't human so much as mechanical—air forced through a body that had forgotten how to breathe on command.
Wasn't she just—
Wasn't she—
The pain dropped out suddenly, leaving her gasping, lungs burning, heart hammering like it wanted out of her chest.
Cold air rushed in and the bright white light above her blurred and doubled her vision.
Hadn't she just been in bed?
Hadn't there been warmth, weight… the sound of laughter and kids still echoed in her ears…
The shock hit again.
Shorter this time. Sharper.
