Emily's eyelids fluttered open slowly, her lashes were damp with tears that had dried against her skin.
For a brief, fragile moment she believed she had simply awakened from an ordinary night's sleep and stretched her arms, wondering how soft the bed felt today.
Her mind had not yet caught up to reality. She shifted to the side, thinking of sleeping for a few more minutes as she felt fabric smoother than normal.
Then suddenly a violent memory crashed into her, jolting her awake.
She remembered getting beaten by a whip when the door had suddenly shattered and some strangers had entered her house out of nowhere.
She remembered hearing her husband's screams and panicking out of fear.
Her eyes had snapped fully open now. Panic flooded her veins, erasing the last traces of drowsiness.
She pushed herself upright abruptly as alarms rang through her mind while she searched for her baby boy.
What she saw around her made no sense.
