Waking up was no longer the pleasure like it was a few days ago. Nina's smiling face wasn't next to him to drive his nightmares away. There was a fleeting moment when he felt like everything was okay but it evaporated faster than water off the scorched earth of the swamp he burned.
The window next to his bed was wide open. Cool, soothing winds welcomed him into the monstrous world of the living.
"What was the nightmare I had-"
Suddenly, his head throbbed. The pain felt like someone had taken a knife to his skull. It didn't stop there, it felt like he was getting stabbed by multiple knives at once. He leant his head against the metallic bedpost, still sitting on the bed. He squeezed his eyes shut. With his nails dug deep into his palms, he willed the pain to go away. Soon the rest of the world became detached, all he could concentrate on was the pain rooted deep in his head. This was the first time something like this was happening to him.
