The pain hit Justin like a tidal wave, surging through his veins and igniting every nerve in his body. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the riverbank, clutching his stomach as if that might somehow contain the fire spreading within him. His breaths came in short, sharp gasps, and his vision blurred as beads of sweat dripped into his eyes.
“What… was in that?” Justin groaned, his voice strained and barely audible. He glanced at the empty whiskey bottle lying nearby, its label partially peeled away. The liquid had tasted strange—not like the whiskey he remembered. It had been sharper, almost metallic, with an aftertaste that lingered ominously.
His body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. Muscles spasmed uncontrollably, his skin burned as if he were standing under th
