Mia’s breath hitched as her body twitched violently. Her fingers contorted into unnatural angles, muscles spasming as if something inside her was trying to break free.
Evelyn and Reaper didn’t move.
Not because they didn’t want to.
Because Mia wasn’t herself anymore.
The creature—the Mind Eater—stood still, observing. Its massive, grotesque form hunched as if waiting for its new puppet to make the first move. Its glistening brain pulsed with each breath, in sync with Mia’s labored gasps.
Then Mia’s lips moved.
But it wasn’t her voice that came out.
“You fight… but you cannot resist.”
Reaper raised his shotgun, hands steady despite the sweat rolling down his face. “Oh, I can resist just fine, freak.”
Mia’s head snapped toward him, her body lurching forward as if yanked by invisible strings. She shouldn’t have been able to move like that. Her infected arm stretched unnaturally, bones popping, veins darkening.