The room hung in silence, the kind that pressed in from all sides, heavy and unrelenting. The faint hiss of wind sneaking through the warped shutters was the only sound, a quiet reminder of the cold seeping into the space. The ceiling loomed above me, stained with irregular patches of water damage that formed patterns too chaotic to follow. My eyes drifted over them, not lingering long enough to form meaning—not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't bring myself to care.
""Ugh...""
The sound slipped from my lips, more reflex than intention. My body sprawled across the bed like a discarded doll, limp and motionless. The mattress sagged under my weight, creaking faintly with every subtle shift of my frame. The blankets were tossed to the side, half hanging off the edge of the bed. The chill bit at my exposed skin, but it wasn't enough to make me move. It didn't matter. The cold wasn't sharp or painful—it was just there, like the silence, like the room itself.
