A Click in the Shadows

A soft click inside my chest. Then... vision. Ceilings humming with pale lights, endless yellow walls. Two figures stand frozen in front of me, broad-shouldered and still. I test a joint. My hook lifts, silent. I reach forward and tap the tip against the shoulder of the brown bear ahead. Hard plastic clacks. The echo stretches down the hallway. I'm awake, and the path is wide open.