Chapter 19 Four Days Later

• For three days now, Zayla had been confined to the bedroom and unable to leave. Without her phone in the room, she couldn't call for help either. She managed to get through the first day, but as time wore on, her discomfort intensified.
• The tap water, unfiltered and unpalatable, did little to quench her growing thirst. She resumed drinking tap water sparingly, chewing and swallowing toilet paper when hunger gnawed at her. Stomach medicine and painkillers became her only solace when the pain became unbearable.
• To conserve what little energy she had left, Zayla remained tethered to the bed, her body covered in sporadic cold sweats, her haggard complexion almost the same color as the wall behind her. Each time light washed over her, it felt like she was fading into oblivion.