BRIANNA'S POV
The nightmare hit me again—harder this time.
I was running, but my legs wouldn’t move fast enough. Shadows stretched out from every corner, closing in, whispering my name, mocking me. I could hear voices, their laughter echoing, and no matter how hard I tried to scream, my throat was tight, strangled. I couldn’t breathe.
I woke with a start and with body frozen in place. Sleep paralysis. Again. I couldn’t move. My chest was heavy, like something was sitting on top of me, pressing the air from my lungs. My eyes darted around the room, searching for something—anything—to bring me back to reality, but everything was distorted. The edges of the room blurred, and the darkness came closer. Panic clawed at my throat.
A tear slipped down my cheek, and my heart raced wildly in my
