The mystery key felt like it was searing a hole through his pocket, but whatever door it opened would have to wait. Right now, survival meant one thing—staying the hell away from the Nurse.

Levi grimaced and patted the pocket where she’d tucked her collapsible baton.

“If I had a gun, do you think I’d be sneaking around like this?”

“Oh, Califor—uh, I mean, Levi,” McCullan said, spotting what he clearly thought was his chance. He reached for her hands. “Your delicate hands shouldn’t have to—”

It wasn’t just a sneeze. It was a full-body, wet achoo that exploded out of McCullan, spraying droplets in every direction.

The sound lasted less than a second, but for Seojun, it stretched into a slow-motion nightmare. Long enough for him to mentally compose at least a dozen creative ways to kill the man.

The joke fell flat. Dead silence followed.

Seojun risked a glance over his shoulder, his flashlight trembling in his hand. The beam jittered across a row of pale, horrified faces. The others stared past him—eyes wide, mouths hanging open, frozen like statues in the dark.

Brown exhaled slowly through his teeth. Of course that wire wouldn’t have held anything heavier than a scarecrow.

"...Mina!"

A sharp, breathless laugh broke the silence. Then another. And suddenly the whole room was echoing with nervous, half-hysterical cackling.

Nobody said anything at first. They just looked at each other, trying to figure out what they were seeing. The stains were scattered across the floor—not everywhere, but definitely enough to notice.

The petals felt so fragile beneath his fingers that Seojun instinctively pulled his arm back, afraid they might crumble at the slightest pressure. Delicate petals drifted down, settling on the dirty chair seat below. When he rubbed his hands together, a fine dusting of pollen clung to his palms.