Page 4 of Guarded from Danger

NO.

Everything is getting fuzzy.

My chest is bursting.

A strange smell hits my nose.

NO.

I’m sucking in frantic breaths, the fabric damp on my lips.

I have to fight.

But everything is fading.

My limbs are getting heavy.

My eyes won’t stay open.

Please. No.

If I could just reach the spray…

Darkness works its way across my vision.

It’s too late.

I’m still alive.

That’s all I know.

Everything else is still in the fog.

Quicksand. Pea soup. Taffy.

Why is it so hard to think?

Why does my head hurt so much?

Where am I?

Nothing makes sense.

Fear catches hold of me, its claws digging in.

But I’m still stuck. My brain won’t work right.

I don’t know what I’m afraid of.

Think. Focus.

Taking deep breaths, I try to force my way through the fog. To take stock.

As my brain gradually comes back online, small details begin to register.

The wood beneath me, gritty and slightly damp.

The smell, sour with a hint of mildew.

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