Chapter 8: Night Terrors**
For the first week, daytime was manageable. The children watched cartoons, helped Peter in the garden, and slowly began to put weight back on. But the nights were a different battleground.
It happened at 2:00 AM on a Thursday. A high-pitched, blood-curdling scream echoed through the quiet house.
Peter sprinted down the hallway, bursting into the guest room. Drew was sitting up in bed, thrashing violently, his eyes wide open but seeing nothing but the past. He was screaming for Lily, frantically pawing at the blankets as if digging through rubble.
"Drew! I'm here, buddy! You're safe!" Peter fell to his knees beside the bed, carefully catching the boy's flailing hands.
Drew gasped, his unseeing eyes finally locking onto Peter’s face. He blinked, the fog of the nightmare slowly lifting. He looked over at the adjacent twin bed, where Lily was sitting up, silently watching them with wide eyes.
"I couldn't find the window," Drew sobbed, collapsing into Peter's chest. "It was so dark."
"Look around," Peter said softly, rubbing the boy's back. "Look at the nightlight. Look at the window with the curtains. You aren't there anymore. You did it, Drew. You saved her. You never have to find that window again."
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Peter stayed in the room for the rest of the night, sitting on the floor between their beds. He didn't sleep, standing guard against the shadows until the morning sun chased them away.
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