First, it was the overwhelming fatigue, like a boulder had collapsed over his entire body, crushing every nerve and ounce of strength. Then came the stench. The putrid, suffocating smell of rotting rats and stagnant water invaded his nostrils, clawing at his lungs with each shallow breath. He had to hold his breath in intervals, but even that didn’t help. Every inhale scorched worse than the last, the air thick with decay and damp mold.

It felt like a dream. Or more accurately, a nightmare. One of those sick, looping ones that never let go.

A weak grunt slipped past his lips, dry, chapped, and split at the corners. Blood...