"NANCYYYYYYYY!!"
A tortured cry tore from Ash's throat as his body jerked upright on the infirmary bed, soaked in sweat, his chest heaving as if the air itself had become too thick to breathe.
His eyes snapped open, wild and unfocused. He frantically scanned the sterile white walls around him.
Where am I...?
The clean sheets beneath him, the soft beeping of medical instruments, and the faint scent of disinfectant gave him the answer.
Infirmary…?
"It was a dream…?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, still clinging to the fragments of the nightmare—no, memory—that had just ripped him apart from the inside.
Wait. Elysia…?
His heart suddenly thudded with dread.
"Where is she?" he asked aloud, his voice strained as he threw the blanket off and stood up.
His legs wobbled, the sudden movement too much for his recovering body, but he caught himself and steadied his breath.
Just as he was about to open the door, it swung in on its own.
