Shattered

SHATTERED STEPHANIE CARTY Copyright © 2023 Stephanie Carty The right of Stephanie Carty to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2023 by Bloodhound Books. Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. www.bloodhoundbooks.com Print ISBN: 978-1-5040-8342-3 CONTENTS Love best-selling fiction? Eight months ago Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Nine months later Acknowledgements You will also enjoy: A note from the publisher Love best-selling fiction? LOVE BEST-SELLING FICTION? Sign up today to be the first to hear about new releases and exclusive offers, including free and discounted ebooks! Why not like us or follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest news from your favourite authors? Facebook Twitter Instagram EIGHT MONTHS AGO I’m broken, waiting to be fixed. When are they coming back? My legs feel too heavy to move from the bed, as if I can no longer fight the force of gravity. I scratch at my temples to clear the fog inside. It seems as though I’ve been here by myself for days, but maybe time moves differently for me now? I’m missing something, someone, somewhere. The details hide in a haze. I must ground myself, pay close attention to what’s around me rather than panic. There’s a dimly lit 1 MONDAY, 29 APRIL The darkened one-way glass of Somni Company headquarters gives away no clue as to what goes on inside. Metallic panes reflect contorted versions of my face. Each storey is set back a little further from the one below, like the layers of sleep that are investigated inside. Sleep architecture is the focus of our research: all the components of sleep that form the solid building of a person. Unlike me for the last few months: a shattered-mirror version of myself. I pause to clip my identity badge on my