Sweat drenched my shirt. My chest heaved, my heart pounding against my ribs as if it wanted to break free. My eyes darted around the small room, searching for the shadow that chased me in my dream. The silence inside pressed down harder than any noise could. My window was shut, locked tight. No footsteps in the hall. No growls curling through the night. Nothing. And yet, those eyes… Those green eyes still lingered in my mind, glowing like fire in the dark. They burned into me, haunting me, as if the dream wasn’t a dream at all. As if someone had truly been standing there, watching me, waiting. I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to calm the drum inside me. My breaths came out shaky, shallow. What could this actually be? Why did it feel so real? Why did the air in my dream taste

