Nora sat upright in bed, unable to shake the sensation that something had shifted. Her chest tightened with each breath, the mixture of incense and earthy rot making her eyes water. She stared at the painted walls, watching as the patterns seemed to undulate and crawl, as if the room itself were breathing.
A whisper slithered through the silence, curling around Nora's ears—a sound too soft to identify, yet impossible to ignore. She pressed her hands against her temples, struggling to discern whether the noise existed outside or within her own mind. Old, half-forgotten memories clawed at her thoughts, dragging forth regrets and fears she thought she’d buried long ago.
Nora's own heartbeat thundered in her ears, each beat echoing like footsteps on an empty floor. Her breath grew shallow, ragged, as she hugged her knees beneath the covers. "What is happening to me?" she whispered, her words barely audible over the relentless hush.
Nora felt the hairs on her neck rise, the certainty of a presence just over her shoulder. She dared not move, paralyzed by a fear that seeped into her bones. The whispers grew louder, twisting her own thoughts into accusations, and every inhale felt borrowed, foreign.
The world shrank to the confines of Nora's trembling form and the monstrous shadow she could not see. Her mind reeled, unable to distinguish between dream and reality as guilt, shame, and terror warred within her. "Please, just let me go," she pleaded, uncertain if she begged the room, herself, or the unseen thing behind her.
Nora squeezed her eyes shut, surrendering to the presence that had claimed her thoughts. The boundary between her and the darkness dissolved, and in that endless moment, she ceased to resist. All that remained was the echo of her own fear, reverberating in the silence, as the night stretched on, unbroken.
