Lena's eyes flickered open, each blink feeling like a struggle against invisible weights pressing down on her eyelids.
Her head throbbed painfully, a dull ache that seemed to pulse in rhythm with her heartbeat.
She blinked against the stinging pain in her side.
She suddenly realized she had been stabbed at her side. Pain shot through her as she clutched her side, trying to remain steady. Her mind raced with shock and confusion, struggling to understand what had happened. Staring down at her tactical gear that was dirty and torn.
Shadows danced at the edges of her vision, and she fought to clear the fog clouding her thoughts.
Her eyes slowly focused on the dirt beneath her fingers. She was lying in a strange, unfamiliar place—cold, damp earth beneath her, surrounded by the scent of wet
