Chapter 154

As I lay there, my mind struggled to push through the thick fog enveloping my thoughts. I attempted to move, but it felt like my body was trapped in a limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness.

The dull, rhythmic thumping in my head combined with my inability to open my eyes induced a wave of nausea that washed over me. A relentless jarring sensation kept slamming against my back, and pain lingered just beneath the surface, ready to spill over and elicit a scream. I could feel it, yet I couldn't let any emotions rise to the surface.

Focus, I thought, but the clarity eluded me. Tears threatened to spill from behind my closed eyelids, as colors flashed and spun dangerously in my vision. I needed to throw up. With a tentative motion, I turned my head to the side and opened my mouth, but no sound emerged.

The world continued to collide against me—a sharp object battering my back and then slamming into the back of my head. An intense awareness crept in; my hair wa