Karl's POV
I jolt awake, my body drenched in cold sweat. The familiar nightmare clings to me like a second skin, refusing to release its grip. That same cursed memory plays on repeat, night after night, tormenting me with what I lost.
The night everything changed. The night I became a monster.
I drag my hands down my face, trying to scrub away the lingering images. The agony of my first shift, the terror of losing control, the sound of Sally's peaceful breathing as I fled into the darkness. Six years have passed, yet the memory burns as fresh as if it happened yesterday.
Rolling out of bed, I strip the soaked sheets and stumble toward the bathroom. The cold tiles shock my bare feet, grounding me in reality. This is my life now. Endless nights of torment, waking up to the same crushing loneliness.
