Got it! Here’s the continuation:
The silence in the basement was suffocating. The only sounds were Oliver’s ragged breaths and the faint dripping of water from a distant pipe. His vision blurred as the pain from his wounds threatened to pull him into unconsciousness. Every shallow breath burned in his chest, every movement igniting fresh agony from the stab wounds scattered across his body.
He shifted slightly, wincing as the cold, damp floor pressed against his back. His blood pooled beneath him, sticky and warm, a stark contrast to the icy air that bit at his skin. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed since William had left, his parting words echoing in Oliver’s mind like a cruel taunt.
“Your existence is an inconvenience.”
Oliver squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the
