The Storylet Experiment: Part 5
Once Lily had picked up all of the delicate watch parts, she excused herself to use the washroom. But she walked right past it and out the backdoor, leaning against the stone wall in the alley. The fit came just as she expected, but she did not know it would bring her to her knees, coughing so violently that her whole body shook from the effort and she thought she would be sick. When she had finally stopped and hung her head to regain her breath, she noticed the drops of black bile on the cobblestone. She wiped a shaky hand across her mouth and saw the ink-like smears on the back of her hand.
So here it was then, the evidence right in front of her. Part of her had always known that her physician’s diagnosis of lung rot was correct but another part of her had always held out hope. Hope that he had been mistaken, hope that the strain she had was one that took years to fully develop. And yet here she was, black mucus in her lungs only a handful of days after she had seen him about shortness of breath. How long would she have…two months, perhaps three? She closed her eyes and knelt there shivering as the realization came over her. Death would come for her soon.