Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
The harsh sound of Mikey's alarm sliced through the heavy silence of the early morning, dragging him unwillingly from the depths of sleep.
His eyelids fluttered open, disoriented for a moment as the sunlight blazed into his room through the thin curtains. He groaned, a mix of frustration and exhaustion echoing in the sound, as he reached blindly for his phone on the nightstand, his fingers brushing over its cold surface.
The moment he tapped the glowing red button to silence the beeping, the rush of morning reality slammed into him, and his heart thudded in his chest like the drumbeat of an impending war. He shut his eyes again for a fleeting moment, wishing he could retreat into the warmth of his blankets.
But the truth was inescapable.
The day was here.
