Darkness swallowed the apartment whole.
One second there was warm yellow light from the bedside lamp.
The next—
Nothing.
Just blackness.
Complete blackness.
Jayda’s breath instantly caught inside her throat.
“Damek?”
“I’m here.”
His voice came immediately from beside her.
Close.
Close enough that she could almost feel the warmth of his shoulder near hers even without seeing him.
Then—
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Jayda stopped breathing.
The sound echoed softly somewhere inside the apartment.
Slow.
Steady.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Her fingers immediately grabbed Damek’s sleeve instinctively.
“Tell me you hear that too.”
Silence.
Then quietly—
“Yeah.”
The ticking continued.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Not from outside.
Not from the hallway.
Inside.
Inside her apartment.
Jayda’s
