Inside Zeno's room, the lights were turned off, and he was lying across the bed staring up at the dark ceiling.
He was quiet, but his head was filling with loud thoughts.
A jumble of emotions and thoughts were racing together in a maddening dance. The silence around him was sinking him deeper and deeper into the endless abyss of destructive thoughts.
Zeno felt alone.
The image of Mr. Orion in his home, as he orchestrated the destruction of his home, as he orchestrated the destruction of his home was seared into his brain like a branding iron.
The pain and anger simmering beneath the surface were now threatening to boil over, and Zeno was struggling to keep them in check.
In the darkness, he felt abandoned, unsure of what to do next or who to trust. The only that was certain was that he couldn't stay in that state of limbo forever; eventually, he would have to face his darkness head-on and find a way to overcome it, even if it involved disagreeing with the people he loved.
