Chapter 1: Awakening from the Grave

I can hear every visitor who comes to my grave, their voices muted by six feet of earth. They don't speak to me directly, although I recognize a few names. I believe I may have ended their lives; the memory is hazy, more like a dream than reality.

I drift through a consciousness that revisits a future I once envisioned, only to see it unravel. When my lungs revive, I gasp and choke, desperate for air that isn't available to me. Life floods back into my limbs, and I start to claw at the coffin's lid before I can fully comprehend the situation. The instinct to survive is stronger than rational thought.

Dirt seeps through the cracks, but the lid barely budges. Tears sting my dry cheeks as I pound my fists against the plywood, skin splitting and burning. The wood gives way, and dirt tumbles down upon me, heavier than I anticipated. I thrash and kick, but the earth constricts around me, tightening its grip.

I try to inhale too quickly, and dirt fills my mouth. Spluttering and shaking, I pull myself fro