Nikolai

Sleep came like a blade in the dark—unwanted, unexpected, and sharp enough to draw blood.

I hadn't meant to close my eyes. Hadn't meant to let the exhaustion win. But my body had other plans, dragging me down into darkness despite every instinct that screamed to stay awake, stay vigilant, stay away from whatever waited in the depths of my own mind.

For two hours, I'd fought it. Sat on the bathroom floor, the cold porcelain at my back, staring at my blood-caked hands. The scents ...