Footsteps echoed down the corridors, followed by the clatter of items on trays or trolleys. People chatted at their workstations, sharing the latest gossip. 

“Did you hear who Rob was seen with?” The crowd around the reception desk shook their heads, leaning in to hear the answer. “Lucy.” Loud gasps followed as the conversation turned to all the sordid things the two could be up to.   

But inside the room, opposite the desk, it was quiet, except for the rhythmic beeping of the machine beside the bed. The girl's heartbeat kept time with the machine, her head spinning in a dreamlike state as she tried to piece together what had happened. 

Beep.

The walls of her building shook. Her delicate figures and photographs shifted and fell from the shelves and cabinets. 

Beep. 

There was a scream from the other room; her friend had been helping her put up a new wardrobe. It was nearly up when she slipped through the small gap between the door and the wardrobe. 

Beep.

One by one, she saw flashes of images and smelled familiar scents in her mind. 

A meeting in a dusty corner of the library.

A smell of honey and sea salt. 

Beep.

Bits of plaster falling loose, smashing around her. 

A long, passionate kiss as the sun rose over the sparkling ocean. 

Beep.

A small box, tied with a bow. 

A loud and boisterous laugh.

Beep.

Her arms flailing as she ran, stumbling as the ground beneath her feet trembled. 

The door blocked.

Beep. 

A dimpled smile.

Sweat covering their bodies.

Beep.

Crimson pooled on the white rug. 

A twitching hand.

Beep.

A sharp pain.

The crumbling room, blurring. 

The beeping continued, slower. 

Beep.

Then there was silence.