ELIANA
It had been weeks since the rescue, and time had started moving differently. For some of them, freedom came quickly. I watched a few begin to walk the corridors without flinching at every sound. Some even laughed now. Real laughter. The kind that didn't sound forced or hollow. They moved around the base like they finally believed the doors would stay open.
Like they owned their own steps again.
But not all of them. Some still slept in corners instead of beds. Some still hid food under their pillows. Some still woke up screaming in the middle of the night, their bodies remembering things their minds were trying to forget.
Freedom did not come all at once. For some, it came in pieces. For others, it was still on its way.
