The alarm on my watch vibrated against my wrist at exactly 5:00 AM, but I'd been awake for the past hour anyway, staring at the ceiling and running through the plan in my head for the hundredth time. The house was completely silent except for the familiar sounds of early morning.
I rolled out of bed as quietly as possible, my bare feet finding the cold hardwood floor. Every movement felt amplified in the pre-dawn stillness, and I found myself holding my breath as I gathered the gear I'd carefully laid out the night before.
