Evelyn's POV
I ran as if my feet had a mind of their own. The yard blurred into a smear of stone and shadow, the world reduced to a tunnel that led straight to the prison wing.
My lungs burned, every breath a stab, but the image of Lisa, being dragged away, pleading, terrified, kept my legs moving. I would not let them take her without a fight. I would not let them silence her like this
I burst through the heavy gate of the prison and found them, a row of small cells with iron bars. Lisa sat on the bench inside one of them, her shoulders hunched, eyes hollow with fear. When she saw me, something like a flicker of joy tried to flare, but it was swallowed by the snapshot of her face, the bruise under her eye, the way her lips trembled.
"Please," I begged the closest guard, pleading for permission to see her. "Just for a moment. Please, I need to talk to her."
He sneered and shoved me back "Shoo. Get away. We don't allow visitors without orders."
