The night felt long—too long. The silence was deafening, the darkness suffocating… or so I thought. But when my eyes finally opened, I realized the room wasn’t dark at all. Light still poured in from the curtains, soft and muted. The world had moved while I had been trapped in that heavy sleep.

I felt lighter, less strained. My head and mind were finally calm, except for one thing: the nightmare outside my door hadn’t gone anywhere.

I looked around and realized something was pretty amiss. I was alone on the bed. I sat up slowly, peeling the duvet halfway down.

Aldrich never left me alone. But this time… I...