"Where?" Alisha jolted back, her eyes widening, pupils dilating, breathing loudly, sweat dripping from her body, her own voice echoing in her ears as if they were about to bleed.

Beep! Beep!

The unwelcome sound in her surroundings made her heart beat wildly. She tried to make sense of what had happened-who was in the dark? Were her parents dead? Or was what she had just seen only a dream?

"Wake up, Alisha, sweetheart."

Startled by the low whispering tone in her ears, Alisha shifted her eyes ...