The Siren Woke Me from a Five-Minute Nap and My Heart Felt Like It Was Exploding

Dear Delyara, I dropped my head onto my arms at 5:00 AM for just a few minutes, completely defeated by sleep deprivation. A sudden, piercing wail of a two-tone siren right outside the gatehouse door jolted me awake so violently that I fell out of my chair onto the floor. My heart was pounding so hard I couldn't breathe, and a cold sweat instantly broke out across my back. For a terrifying ten seconds, I didn't know where I was, who I was, or why the world was screaming. Sitting there on the dusty lino, clutching my chest in the dark, the absolute misery of this existence hit me with full force. I am killing myself for a dream that feels further away with every single shift I log.