2:00 AM. Motel 88, Victoria Mainland.

The ceiling fan wobbled on its axis, making a rhythmic thwack-thwack-thwack sound that was driving Sophia insane.

She sat cross-legged on the stained bedspread, her knees pulled up to her chest. The room smelled of stale cigarettes and mildew—a far cry from the lavender-scented sheets of her apartment .

Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning.

She stared at the small, boxy television mounted in the corner of the room. The picture was grainy, the colors washed out, but the headline scrolling across the bottom of the screen was crystal clear.

BREAKING NEWS: TRAGEDY ON THE LINK BRIDGE.

Vivienne Carter in Critical...