You woke up in the dead hour between midnight and dawn, the room heavy with stillness. Your eyes opened, but your body did not follow, like your mind had surfaced from a deep ocean while your limbs remained trapped beneath the waves.

You tried to twitch a finger. Nothing. Your lips wouldn’t part. Your breath felt shallow, as if the air was thickening with every second.

That’s when you heard it. A slow, deliberate creak from the far corner of the room. Right where the darkness pooled deepest.

Something was there.

At first, it was just an outline, but as your eyes adjusted, it sharpened. It was… some sort of life-sized doll.

…Hey, sleepy… There you are…