VIV’S POV

A low hum buzzed overhead, like the whisper of faulty lights or the presence of something just beyond comprehension. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy and slow, like they were coated in molasses. My head ached, dull and pounding, the kind of pain that came from something chemical. Not sleep. Not exhaustion. No, this was induced.

I tried to sit up, but the cold, hard surface beneath me made the process difficult. Hard bed. It was an iron bed with a very little mattress ...