Chapter 9

The night was thick and oppressive, like a heavy cloak of ink. Calvin lay in bed, tossing and turning, a sheen of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. In his dream, Scarlett was huddled in the corner of a prison cell, her body drenched in blood. Her eyes were vacant, fixed on him, her lips quivering as she whispered, "Calvin… Save me…" Calvin jolted awake, sitting up abruptly, his chest heaving with quick, shallow breaths. He clenched the bedsheet so tightly that his knuckles went pale. The moonlight filtered through the window, spilling across the floor and casting a soft glow on his pale face. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his heart still pounding, as if the scene from his dream was still gripping him. At the same time, the sound of quick, uneven breaths came from Eugene's room. He, too, had been startled awake by a dream. In it, Scarlett was battered and bruised, kneeling on the ground, her wrists bound by heavy iron chains. Tears streaked her face as she cried o