starter for @asgardianhammer and @divinityrisen
The first thing Torunn notices as she drifts back toward consciousness is the rough, scratchy fabric beneath her fingertips. It drags faintly against her skin when she shifts, unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
Then comes the sound, a continuous beeping that cuts through the fog in her head.
Her breath catches. For the last thing she remembers is the alley, the cold, the fear, the dark figure, the dizziness creeping in. A flicker of panic sparks in her chest as the realization settles in, sheβs been moved.
Her eyes donβt open straight away, but her body tenses, every instinct sharpening despite the lingering heaviness in her limbs. The air smells different too, cleaner and sharper, almost clinical, which only makes her pulse quicken.
After what feels like a lifetime, her eyes finally manage to open, only for Torunn to flinch at the harsh brightness overhead. The light burns, sharp and unforgiving, and she squeezes her eyes shut again with a soft, pained wince.
This time, she blinks rapidly, vision swimming as she forces her eyes to adjust. Shapes begin to form through the blur, white walls, muted colours, unfamiliar equipment and unoccupied chairs. The steady beeping she heard before syncs with the flicker of a monitor beside her bed.
And just like that, it clicks. She's in a hospital room.
She tries to sit up, needing to look for her parents, but instantly regrets it. Pain hits her from two different places at once, her head and her left arm, forcing a sharp hiss from her lips. The sudden intensity makes her abandon the attempt and she quickly sinks back down onto the bed.
Instinctively, Torunn reaches up with her other hand and touches her head, feeling the bandage wrapped around it. Then she glances down at her left arm, noticing the IV line connected to it, fluids steadily running through the tube.
The young blonde reaches over and unscrews the IV, and disconnecting herself, along with the leads that were connecting her to the monitor, before pushing up into a sitting position again. She bites down hard on her lip, trying to ignore the pain as it flares through her body. The overwhelming urge to get out of here, to find her parents, drives her to push through it.
She throws the covers off and shifts toward the edge of the bed, hands moving to the side rails. With a strained breath, she tries to force them down, but they donβt budge.
"Come on... Come on!... Just let me out!"