Tuesday, September 20, 2022
St. George's Park
6:47 AM
Demien woke to his alarm cutting through the darkness of Room 214, and his hand found his phone on the nightstand before his eyes fully opened while his body protested the early hour with muscles that still remembered Sunday's ninety minutes at the Stadio Maradona, and as he swung his legs out of bed the weight in his limbs reminded him that recovery was far from complete.
His legs felt heavy as he stood, and the tightness in his calves reminded him that less than seventy-two hours had passed since he'd been running against Anguissa's relentless pressure in Naples, and each step toward the window brought fresh awareness of the accumulated fatigue that lingered in his body.
