Tracy was drowning.
The ocean surrounded her, vast and endless, stretching into a darkness that swallowed everything whole. The water was cold—unnaturally cold—and it wrapped around her body like chains, dragging her deeper no matter how hard she struggled.
Her arms moved wildly, fighting against the invisible force pulling her down. Her chest tightened as panic surged through her, her lungs burning for air that wasn’t there.
Water forced its way into her mouth.
She choked.
Her body jerked as she tried to scream, but no sound came out—only bubbles rising past her face as the ocean consumed her voice.
It was a dream.
But it didn’t feel like one.
The pressure was real.
The pain was real.
The fear—
Too real.
The deeper she sank, the heavier her body became, as if something beneath
