...
The curtains in the room were not drawn, leaving the room dimly lit.
Just as Lyra was about to turn on the lights, a dark figure lunged at her. Startled, she instinctively dodged the attacker.
However, the attacker was clearly aiming for her. Unable to evade the sudden attack, Lyra was knocked to the ground. She felt a sharp pain in her waist from the fall, and before she could react, her neck was brutally gripped.
While she could still speak, Lyra tried to pry off the hands around her neck: "It's...me. Mikel...Anderson...it's me."
Lyra struggled to speak.
Mikel heard her voice but didn't loosen the grip. Lyra felt like she was being strangled, her supply of fresh air getting less and less, and pure terror rose from the bottom of her heart. It became extremely difficult for her to make any sounds.
Is she going to die here today?
"Mi-kel..."
