Chapter 82

• She had nightmares while she slept. They came at her one after the other, taunting her sleep and poking at the threads of her sanity. She dreamt of blood and ghosts. They were whispering to her in soft crispy voices from the shadows:
• *I told you so, didn't I? I warned you but you wouldn't listen. See? See what you've brought upon yourself. Seeeee?*
• Stephanie woke up feeling hazy. She looked around her, hoping with all her heart that she wouldn't find any indication that what she had seen in her sleep was real. She got up and walked over to where she had dropped her phone on the desk. Unlocking it, she was bewildered to find that it wasn't just a dream. It was real. She let out a sigh and checked the time. Fifteen minutes past four in the morning. She was surprised that she had slept for so long. Almost ten hours, she thought. That was the longest time she could remember ever spending in bed. She had never been the type to sleep for long hours. To her, it was a sign of laziness and there was no room for that in her schedule.