"Tick-tock, tick-tock..." Blair's gaze was fixated on the alarm clock on her nightstand, its rhythmic ticking a relentless reminder of the passing time. The red digits glared back at her - 3:47 AM. Each second that ticked by without news from Claudia amplified the gnawing anxiety that had taken root in her chest, a constant, throbbing ache that no amount of painkillers could dull.
The city outside her window was a symphony of shadows and whispers, a world she knew intimately, a world she'd tried to escape. But the shadows had followed her, seeped into her sanctuary, leaving her feeling vulnerable, exposed.