Jefferson's POV
Consciousness hit me like a freight train. My vision swam between darkness and blinding flashes of light, the world spinning around me in nauseating waves. Every breath burned my lungs, tasting of smoke and copper. The acrid stench of chemicals and twisted metal filled my nostrils, making my stomach lurch.
Muffled voices penetrated the fog clouding my mind. Urgent. Desperate.
I tried to push myself up, but white-hot pain exploded through my ribs, forcing me back down with a strangled groan. My head pounded in rhythm with my racing heart.
"Jefferson." Strong fingers gripped my shoulder, and I jerked away instinctively. Through the haze, Javier's face came into focus above me. His usually pristine appearance was destroyed - dark hair matted with sweat and debris, blood streaking down one cheek that clearly wasn't his own.
"Stay with me," Javier commanded, his voice cutting through my disorientation. "We're getting out of here right now."
