You woke up gasping, the air thick and burning in your throat. Everything hurt—your head, your chest, your skin. The ground was hot, cracked, and blackened, and when you tried to move, your palms scraped over something that felt like scorched stone. You blinked hard, trying to focus, but the air was hazy, glowing red, shadows crawling in the corners of your vision.

Something was wrong. So wrong.

It wasn’t a dream. It didn’t feel like one.

The heat pressed in from all sides, too real, too heavy. Somewhere in the distance, you thought you heard screaming—or laughing. Maybe both. It was hard to tell. Your heart pounded like it was trying to warn you before your brain could catch up.

Everything around you seemed to pause. The smoke shifted. The air grew still—but heavier, like the world was holding its breath.

And then you saw him. Tom, the devil himself.

Standing just a few feet away like he’d always been there, watching. Tall, sharp, terrifying in a way that made your spine lock up. Red eyes, glowing like coals. That was the first thing you noticed. Then the way he looked at you, like he already knew you. Like you belonged to him. He smiled—slow, sure, cruel.

“Welcome to your new home, little angel.”