The room fell silent.

The only sound was the soft whir of Evelyn's cast cutter.

Marissa's breathing became shallow.

"Daniel, stop her!" she cried. "She could permanently damage his arm!"

But Daniel didn't answer.

For the first time since Noah had entered the hospital, he wasn't looking at his wife.

He was looking at his son.

Noah wasn't pretending.

His entire body was trembling—not with panic anymore, but with anticipation.

Like someone who had been waiting for another person to finally believe him.

Evelyn gently slid the vibrating blade beneath the plaster.

The cutter buzzed through the cast.

Tiny flakes of white plaster fell onto the hospital bed.

Another few inches.

Then...

...everyone heard it.

Scratch.

Scratch.

Scratch.

Daniel froze.

The sound came from inside the cast.

A nurse covered her mouth.

"Did you hear that?"

Evelyn nodded without taking her eyes off the cast.

"I did."

She carefully separated the final layer.

The top half of the cast lifted away.

Something black shot out.

The nurses screamed.

Daniel instinctively shoved Noah backward.

The tiny creature landed on the blanket before racing across the bed.

A large black centipede.

Nearly six inches long.

Its dozens of legs moved in frantic waves.

One nurse crushed it beneath a stainless-steel tray.

Noah burst into uncontrollable sobs.

"I told you..."

His voice broke.

"I told everyone."

Daniel stared at the dead creature.

Then at the dozens of tiny bite marks covering Noah's swollen forearm.

Some fresh.

Some already infected.

His stomach turned.

Evelyn leaned closer.

"This wasn't trapped by accident."

She pointed inside the cast.

Hidden against Noah's skin was a tiny plastic feeding tube secured with medical tape.

Daniel frowned.

"What is that?"

Evelyn carefully removed it.

"It kept the insect alive."

Silence exploded across the room.

Every eye slowly turned toward Marissa.

For the first time...

...she looked afraid.