Mary woke abruptly, her eyes snapping open as if startled awake.

Her breathing was labored, and the bedsheets beneath her were soaked in cold sweat, clinging uncomfortably to her skin.

It was as though she had been exercising in her sleep.

‘How unpleasant….’

Trying to calm her uneven breaths, Mary sat on the bed, staring out the window.

The darkness outside confirmed that it was still pre-dawn.

Was it the unfamiliar sleeping arrangements that had disturbed her rest?

Or perhaps…

She turned her gaze toward Jerry, who lay asleep in the corner of the room amidst the party's supplies.

Earlier, …