Kaelen's POV
The handler reached her before anyone else could react.
His knees slammed against the concrete floor with a sickening crack as he dropped beside her motionless form. His hands trembled in the air above her face, afraid to make contact.
Through the lingering smoke that drifted from her destroyed features, he leaned closer, squinting desperately.
"Come on. Come on, come on, come on." His fingers snapped repeatedly in front of where her eyes should have been. No response. He gripped her shoulder and shook her roughly. "Open your eyes. Please, just wake up."
He moved closer, so close his breath would have touched her skin. When he peered into the hollow sockets where her eyes had been, his entire body convulsed backward. He nearly toppled over, one palm flying to cover his mouth while the other slapped against the floor to steady himself. A violent retch tore from his throat, raw and desperate, as he twisted away and vomited.
