...Before the Awakening 2

The forest was alive in that eerie, mid-day stillness—the kind where every sound felt louder than it should. The sun clawed its way through the tangled mess of trees, spilling gold across damp earth and casting long shadows that stretched like claws. The air smelled like wet moss and old bark, heavy with the kind of silence that warned you something was about to happen. Birds? Quiet. Wind? Still.

It was the kind of calm that wasn't peaceful—it was loaded, like the whole damn world was holding its breath.

Naomi's eyes snapped open, panic hitting her like ice water. Her head throbbed, and every muscle in her body screamed as she shifted—barely moving, but enough to realize shit— "I'm awake." And that's when she saw it.