Remo's heart pounded furiously in his chest as he jolted awake, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. Sweat coated his brow, and his hands trembled as he frantically looked around the dimly lit room. For a moment, the remnants of the nightmare clung to him like a suffocating shroud, the image of Abby lying in a pool of blood burned into his mind.
But as his racing heartbeat slowed, and the fog of sleep began to lift, Remo realized with a sinking feeling that it had all been just a dream—a twisted manifestation of his deepest fears.
Relief washed over him in a wave, but it was short-lived as he glanced beside him and found Abby's side of the bed empty. Panic surged through him once more, a primal instinct driving him to his feet as he scanned the room in a frantic search for her.
"Abby?" he called out, his voice hoarse with urgency. "Where are you?"