The dense atmosphere in the corridor seemed to thicken further as Meirah, once engrossed in her haunting memories, blinked into the sudden harshness of the present. The echo of her own past—the frantic heartbeats, the whispered promises, and the devastating silence of the empty cave—caught jarringly with the reality before her.
Camila's figure emerged from the shadowed edges of Meirah’s recollections, standing in stark contrast to the darkness that had enveloped her mind. There was a stark coldness to Camila’s demeanor, her face illuminated by the unsettling glow of satisfaction, and her fingers curled delicately around her now dormant cellphone.
"Well?" Camila repeated, adding a malicious lilt to her voice. "How do you feel now, Meirah?"
Meirah’s lowered gaze flickered, a well of emoti
