Cold Awakening

DAPHNE

The first thing I felt was the cold.

It wasn’t the normal kind of cold, the one that came with an open window or an air conditioner running too high. This was different. It was the kind that seeped into my bones, made my body feel heavy and numb. My fingers twitched weakly, but even that small movement felt exhausting.

My eyelids were heavy, like they had been glued shut. I tried to force t