I looked at the blank screen of my phone, the connection gone, the promise forgotten.

And the empty castle we had tried to build was crumbling around us, one stone at a time.

I pushed against the car door with all my strength, the metal scraping against the pillar as I tried to reach the stairwell.

“Hold on, Lauren,” I whispered, my tears cold against her hair.

“Just hold on.”

We scrambled out of the car, our boots hitting the wet concrete as we ran toward the light.

The stairs seemed longer this time, each step a mountain we had to climb in the dark.

At the top of the landing, the door to the third floor was wide open, the sound of a flatline alarm echoing down the hall.

A steady, high-pitched beep that didn’t stop.

We ran toward Room 314, the nurses pushing past us with carts and monitors.

The red light above the door was flashing, a silent warning in the quiet ward.

I pushed the door open, my hand shaking on the frame.