Ryker’s POV:
I don’t even bother checking the time when my eyes open.
I already know I barely slept.
My neck aches from the pillow, my brain still halfway wired like it never powered down properly. I stare at the ceiling for a few seconds, listening to the house — pipes, a floorboard somewhere, wind brushing the trees outside.
Quiet.
Too quiet to fall back asleep.
I drag a hand over my face and sit up with a slow exhale. “Yeah… that’s enough,” I mutter to myself.
I get on my black tracksuit. Same one as always. Shoes next, pulling the laces tight until my hands have something to focus on besides the noise in my head.
My rifle case leans against the wall where I left it. I crouch in front of it and flip it open.
I start checking everything — not rushed, not stressed, just habit. B
