The sharp, acrid scent of smoke was the first thing to stir her awake. It clawed into her nose, burning her throat with each shallow breath.
Her eyes twitched open slowly, vision sluggish, flickering in and out like a broken film reel. With every pulse of light came pain: the hammering throb of a relentless headache pounding through her skull. Alongside the smoke, another smell lingered in the air. Alcohol. Bitter, stinging, soaked into the carpet and clinging to the walls. It burned almost as much as the smoke, like old scars refusing to heal.
