SCARLETTPain. That was the first thing I felt. A sharp, throbbing ache that pulsed through every inch of my back like someone had taken a hammer to my spine.I groaned, blinking slowly, the world swimming into focus through a haze of darkness and the stench of rot. My body was half-buried in something damp and soft, and when I moved, it squelched beneath me.Perfect.The unmistakable smell of decaying food, oil, and something dead hit me next. I gagged, rolling onto my side, coughing until my throat burned.When I finally got a hold of myself, I realized where I was.A dumpster.An actual, metal, godforsaken dumpster.“Fantastic,” I muttered hoarsely, dragging myself upright with a grimace. “Out of all the things to land in, it had to be trash.”My flashlight was nowhere to be seen, but a faint shaft of pale light bled through a small crack above me, illuminating the space just enough for me to make out the piles of garbage and broken scrap metal.My entire body ached, my ribs, my le
Last Updated : 2025-10-27 Read more