A stab of phantom pain had Demian jerking awake. Sweat poured off of him and his body trembled as an indescribable fear filled him. Something had happened. He didn't know what had happened or why he was so sure that something terrible had occurred but he knew deep down that something bad had transpired during his sleep.
He was laying down underneath the thin blanket, his heart pounding widely. His fingers curled as they dug into the thin, itchy material. The fear inside him only growing as the seconds ticked by. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm down his racing heartbeat and settle his nerves. He laid a hand over his frantically beating heart and inhaled a long, deep breath before exhaling.
Behind closed lids, a shaky gray image flickered in his mind's eye, appearing as if it were a black and white painting that had been smeared before it had completely dried.