Elena’s POV

I woke with a jolt, heart already racing, as if my body had registered danger before my mind caught up.

For a few disoriented seconds I lay still, staring into nothing. The room was wrong. Too black. No soft glow from the bedside clock. No thin line of light beneath the door from the hallway. Just thick, absolute dark that pressed against my eyes.

I reached for the lamp and clicked the switch.

Nothing.

I tried again, harder. Still nothing. The small sound of the switch felt too loud in the silence. My phone was somewhere on the nightstand. I fumbled for it, fingers brushing the edge of...