ELENA

I drifted in and out of consciousness, my mind swimming in a haze of confusion. For a while, I felt weightless, caught in a strange limbo between sleep and being awake. Then, slowly, reality started sinking in.

The first thing I noticed was the darkness. It swallowed everything. My eyes were open—I was sure of it—but I couldn’t see a damn thing. It was impossible to tell if I was staring at emptiness or if something was covering my face.

Then, the pain hit me.

A dull, pulsing ...