It was quiet in the darkness.
No sound, no worry. Just a heavy, floating peace.
But then, repeated thuds echoed heavily through the blackness. They grew distant, fading far into a muffled abyss, before snapping back again. A low, pained groan escaped the woman's lips as her head rolled to the side.
A thick, nauseating fog clogged her senses, making the world feel like it was tilting.
Slowly, her eyelids trembled, fighting against a crushing weight, before finally fluttering open.
Everything was a smeared blur for a good moment.
She blinked—trying to piece together the shapes in the gloom. There was a shape across from her. No, it was a figure. A dark silhouette anchored to a chair. She blinked again as her vision slowly sharpened.
And the moment the world cleared, her heart violently seized in her chest.
Instinctively, she gasped and scrambled backwards.
