Lorelei

Consciousness returned in layers, each one pulling me further from the safety of nothingness.

First came the pain—a deep, pervasive ache that lived in my bones, my muscles, my skin. It was everywhere and nowhere, a constant hum beneath the surface of awareness. Then came the darkness. Absolute, complete, pressing against my eyes like a physical weight.

I tried to move. My body refused.

The memories came next, unbidden and unwanted. Claws on my skin. Teeth at my throat. The weight ...