From the Ashes

Vittoria

The first sensation was one of weight, a heavy, throbbing sinking weight across my body. It dragged me somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, a warm yet aching place, where every limb seemed too heavy to belong to me.

Then came sound.

A steady beeping.

Soft footsteps.

A distant voice murmured instructions.

My breath hitched, sharp and painful. My eyes fluttered, but the light stabbed in