章 39: Chapter 39: A Man Undone

39: A Man Undone

Anyra

I bolt up from my bed, wide-eyed and shaking violently. My mouth is dry, and it grates against itself as I try to swallow. I breathe rapidly, my chest heaving. I can’t get a breath out, and I begin to fill with panic.

“Wh- what’s wrong?” Jenna asks wearily beside me.

My thoughts are spiraling out of control in my head. I remember the man, Marcel, bloodied and crying for the pain to end. I remember feeling Logan’s agony of watching the older man being tortured.

I can’t breathe. My lungs are screaming for air.

I rip the blankets off me and run out into the hall on shaky legs, the cold ground barely a glimmer in my thoughts.

Jenna is not far behind, her bare feet thudding swiftly on the floor. I run to our moms’ room and pound on the door.

“Mom! Mom!” I shout. Footsteps echo from behind the door, and my bleary-eyed mother appears from across the threshold.

“Mom!” I cry again, making her jump.