Chapter 22

• Twenty two
• I opened my eyes and blinked, trying to focus in the murky darkness that engulfed me. A thick fog swirled around my body like ghostly tendrils, its iciness sending shivers down my spine. The air was unnaturally still and silent, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Not a single sound reached my ears--no chirping of birds, no whisper of wind, no signs of life at all. A deep, primal terror seized my heart as I realized I was utterly alone in this nightmarish place. Where the hell am I?
• "Hello?" I called out, my voice sounding small and feeble against the suffocating silence. "Is anyone there?"