CHAPTER THIRTY ONE – HELP FROM A FORMER FRIEND

The relentless darkness felt like it had stretched into days. Karina's sense of time was warped. Days bled into nights, measured only by the meager meals shoved into the room and the flickering fluorescent light that remained stubbornly on. Hope, that fragile flame that had flickered after the guard's visit, had dwindled to a faint ember. Every creak of the floorboards sent a jolt of fear through her, every groan of the building seemed to echo her despair. Then, one day, or maybe it was night, the familiar creak of the hinges made her sit up with a start. She braced herself for the gruff guard, but a gasp escaped her lips when the door swung open, revealing a face she hadn't expected – Kayla. Her former best friend stood in the doorway, her face drawn and pale. Before Karina could unleash a torrent of angry questions, Kayla spoke. "Karina," Kayla said softly, "I know this is the last face you want to see right now." Karina glared at her, disbelief warring with a flicker of despera