JC POV
The scent of coffee filled my nostrils, pulling me from the haze of restless sleep. I had fallen asleep lying next to Haylie, her cold, lifeless body beside me.
By now, I had grown so accustomed to the smell of death clinging to her that I could no longer distinguish it.
"Looks like someone is awake," Klinton's voice broke the heavy silence.
I rose from where I had been lying, my movements sluggish. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I turned to see him sitting across the room, cross-legged on the floor, a steaming mug of coffee in his hands.
"What time is it?" I asked, my voice rough from exhaustion.
Klinton smirked, the kind of expression that usually irritated me but now felt oddly grounding. "Don't worry, my friend. It's still early," he replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
