There was a strain in the room that was so tight it felt like a rope stretched too far about to snap. Dahlia held her breath as Carter and the Baron stared each other down.
"Ergh…! Cough!!!"
Willow sputtered as if she were going to say something and then violently coughed. Dahlia's eyes narrowed, and she spotted blood on her lip. The sight made her heart twist. Her friend was far sicker than she had first expected.
Dahlia asked in a hushed tone, "Willow, are you okay?"
Her friend shook her head. She shuddered and coughed uncontrollably once again.
"Shush, girl, stop that racket," the Baron chided. Jerking her around by the arm. Before she could control her body and cover her mouth, she coughed in his face. Bloody droplets of spit coated his skin. He stared at the girl and her deplorable condition.
"Are you sick?" He shouted in her face.
Dahlia seethed with anger at the way he was mistreating her friend.
