They threw us. They didn’t just escort us; they physically hurled us into the blizzard raging outside.

I hit the frozen stone steps shoulder-first. The impact knocked the wind from my lungs, and for a terrifying second, my grip on Luna loosened. I scrambled, curling my body around her tiny form as we tumbled into the snowdrift at the bottom of the stairs. The cold was instant and shocking, a thousand needles piercing my thin hospital gown.

Behind me, the heavy doors slammed shut with a sound like a gunshot, the lock engaging with a final, metallic thunk.