It might have been footsteps.
Or perhaps voices.
Elizabeth could not tell.
The pounding in her head made every sound blur together strangely, as though the world itself had been muffled by the same heavy veil that held her captive.
She struggled again to open her eyes.
Her lashes fluttered weakly but refused to lift.
The darkness surged again, threatening to pull her back down.
Then—
A louder sound.
A sharp thud.
Voices—perhaps.
Someone speaking.
Or shouting.
Elizabeth could not distinguish the words.
Her heart fluttered faintly, hope stirring through the haze.
Someone is here.
She tried again to move, to call out.
Her lips parted slightly, but no sound emerged.
The drug still clung to her mind like chains.
Another crash sounded somewhere below.
Or perhaps it was inside her own head.
Elizabeth could not tell.
The blackness thickened again, tugging at her consciousness.
She fought it desperately.
Stay awake.
But the effort felt like swimming through deep water.
The room seemed to tilt and drift.
Her thoughts scattered like frightened birds.
Only one remained clear.
One name.
