~ Adeline ~

The darkness still clings, thick and damp, like something alive, watching and waiting. I've no idea how long I have lain here, whether measured in minutes, hours, or days. I only know the cold has entered my bones and that the silence presses in on my ears so urgently, it is almost screaming.

I sit up slowly, every muscle in my body groaning like old wood, and for a moment I just breathe. At least, I think I’m breathing. It feels shallow, uneven. My lips are cracked. My throat ...