eek. A low, rhythmic thumping that sl

t heavy, glued shut with exhaustion. She forced them open,

the sticky wetness on her cheek.

overwhelming. Her stomach heaved, and s

eaming in protest. As her vision cleared, she saw it

ll. Its neck was twisted at a grotesque angl

art starting to race again. She h

ow, heavy dragging soun

st's corpse. The sound of s

eath, her eyes loc

It was covered in scales that shimmered with a cold, metallic

n's throat. Her fingers dug in

cold, icy silver. The other was a dark, blood red. Both had vert

cked out, tasting t

ntaries. Snakes did that to smell thei

ce between them, but her back was already

corpse, heading straight for her. The sound of its scales crushing th

shut. Wake up. Wake up.

ng cold touch

leg. The scales were surprisingly smooth, but the grip was u

see every individual scale, the way they overlapped perfectly. Its

o hers. In them, Fallon saw her

ly. The motion was almost... cur

the gaze of a hawk. The cold reality of her situation crashed over he

s too much. It was a physical

o sound came out. Her throat was closed tight

her breathing shallow and erratic. She was trapped in a waking nightmare, her muscles locked tight in a state