After trying so hard, Axel finally stopped crying, though the end of it didn't bring the relief he had hoped for.
His breath felt tight in his chest, dragged and uneven, and his head was pounding in a way he had never experienced before.
The pressure sat behind his eyes, heavy and relentless, every pulse thudding through his skull until the world seemed to blur around the edges.
He felt dizzy.
He tried to think back on the last time he had eaten, but nothing came to mind. The hours before this moment felt like a single stretched thread with no clear beginning.
He forced himself to stand, pulling himself out of Ivan's hold, his movements sharp not because he wanted to be harsh, but because his body was functioning on the last scraps of energy.
