That suffocating feeling, trying to claw his way out of somewhere he wasn't familiar with. Or, was he? A distant place, or maybe not so distant. Maybe it was just around the corner of his brain, waiting for him to confront it. Confront what had happened.

Everything was a confusing haze, speeding by rapidly then slowing down at an unfathomably labored speed. Past traumas and experiences glued and taped together right in front of him, all around him, drowning him. Was he even really breathing? he couldn’t tell. It certainly didn’t feel like he was.

Theo was all too used to this. waking up, sweat-drenched, sobbing, screaming, crying, next to his friend. All too used to how fast everything changed from reliving his traumas to being put back into the present. It was like his brain was playing a cruel joke.

Tonight was no different. Theo woke up with a start, hyperventilating with his hair damp and his skin shining with sweat. He felt like he couldn't breathe, sobs tearing from his lips as his head spun.