Meret’s eyelids fluttered, heavy and reluctant, as if weighed down by an unseen hand. When they finally lifted, the first thing she noticed was the dim light, soft and flickering, barely illuminating the space around her. Her head throbbed, a dull, insistent pain that made her stomach churn.

For a moment, she couldn’t place herself. The air smelled of dust and something metallic. Her vision swam as she tried to recall how she had gotten there.

Bits of memory floated into her mind like ...