Chapter 74: In the Shadow of Death

The world was a haze of pain and darkness as Ashley drifted in and out of consciousness. Time lost all meaning; seconds felt like hours, and hours like days. Voices echoed around her, distant and distorted, as if she were underwater. She tried to focus, to cling to some sense of reality, but every attempt was met with a wave of pain that threatened to pull her back into the abyss.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself in a small, dimly lit room. The walls were bare, the only furniture a single bed on which she lay and a rickety wooden chair in the corner. Her body ached all over, the sharp sting in her side a constant reminder of her injury. She tried to sit up, but the effort sent a jolt of agony through her torso, and she collapsed back onto the bed with a groan.

The door creaked open, and a figure stepped inside. It was Jackson, his face a mixture of relief and worry as he hurried to her side.

“Ashley,” he said softly, kneeling beside the bed. “Thank God, you’re awake