CAIRN POINT OF VIEW.

Sleep did not come.

It hovered just beyond me, brushing against the edges of my mind like something hesitant to settle, breaking apart the moment I tried to reach for it. I lay on my back in the dim glow of the lantern, staring up at the rough wooden beams above, counting the seconds between breaths, between sounds, between thoughts that refused to quiet.

The barracks felt smaller at night.

Heavier.

The air thick with the presence of others, with the quiet proof that no ...