- Saturday -

I awoke to the taste of blood in my mouth. It was caked on my teeth, my tongue, and I could feel more on my lips and chin. Turning my head to the side, I spat out what I could, which wasn't nearly enough to get rid of the taste.

My head still pounded, but it looked like Constance and Jonas had left me. It was still pitch dark in the room. At least I assumed it was the same room. Honestly, I didn't care where I was so long as those two were really gone.

I was freezing, and once I woke up enough to notice, I found I was soaking wet as well. My skin was burning, but I couldn't stop shivering. At least my arm and ribs weren't hurting so bad anymore. I was able to get to my feet without too much pain, though my head did spin and it took a moment to find my balance. I stood hunched over, eyes squeezed shut despite the darkness, and concentrated on breathing. Once the wave of sickness passed, I felt my way towards the door.

I was met with more darkness in the hallway and cursed. I cringed at the sound of my voice, so loud in the otherwise silent building. I couldn't assume I was alone. They might still be here, waiting to torture me some more. At least in the darkness, they should have more trouble finding me. I had to find my way out.

Thinking was difficult. My head felt like it had not only been stuffed full of prickly cotton, but had then been suspended like some unidentifiable object in the middle of a mold of gelatin. The thought make me feel sick again.

I concentrated on feeling my way down the hallway. I was pretty sure I could remember the path I had taken from that first office. I needed my car keys. And then I needed to find a way out.

It was slow going. Every time I tried to hurry forward, I would feel myself start to pitch forward, everything spinning around me, regardless of whether I could actually see or not.

Something scraped and cracked under my foot and I gasped, the sound filling the space around me. I slid my feet forward carefully, trying not to make more noise, but the floor was littered with... something. I bent down to investigate and my fingers were met with what felt like plastic. Lots of broken shards of thin plastic.

It wasn't important enough to keep my attention, so I stood and started forward again. I'd made it a few more doors down the hallway before it dawned on me what must have been broken. An emergency light. Damn. And sure enough, a couple more doors down, I found more broken plastic littering the floor.

I shook my head, which was a bad idea because it made the dizziness worse and I had to rest my head against the wall before I could trust myself to move forward again without falling. Or vomiting.

My stomach lurched. Too late, just the thought of getting sick was enough to cross me over the line. I pressed my hands against the wall to steady myself and retched, my stomach heaving. I stifled a sob and stepped over, hopefully, the contents of my stomach and continued down the hall.

I felt a little better, my head a little clearer, but I was desperately thirsty. I briefly considered checking doors as I went along to see if I might find a bathroom where I could get a drink from the sink, but it was too much effort. Get my keys, get out, get home. That was all that mattered.

When I came to what I hoped was the intersection of two hallways, I felt frighteningly exposed as I stumbled across the open emptiness before finding the wall again. I was definitely investing in a nightlight once I got home. I didn't think I'd ever feel comfortable in the dark again.

I gave a silent prayer when I turned the last corner to what I thought must be the way to that first office I'd waited in. I rushed forward down the hall, fighting through the lightheadedness, desperate to find that room. When the wall vanished from beneath my hands, I pitched forward and landed on my knees.

Panting, I felt around me. I was in a doorway. Good. I crawled forward, the empty layout of the office in mind as I made my way across the floor. When I bumped into the cool leather of the sofa, I laughed, tears filling my eyes. There was my purse, on the cushion where I'd left it.

I pulled myself up onto the couch and rested my head, clutching my bag to my chest. I'd just rest a moment.

- x x x -

The sun blazed overhead, lighting the world on fire. Or at least it felt like it. I burned.

"Ben, did you bring the sunscreen?" I asked, turning to find Ben standing behind me, grinning mischievously back at me. I arched an eyebrow in question.

"I can cool you off, babe! Just bask in my radiant aura of super cool coolness." He struck a pose, hands on hips, head held high, and chest puffed out.

"Dork," I rolled my eyes and turned my back on him to face the water. I smiled.

I hadn't been here for years, and had always meant to come with Ben, but had just never made it. I could see small bluegills beneath the surface of the water, searching for food at the water's edge, where it lapped gently against the beach. Were there bluegills the last time I'd been here? I couldn't remember. It didn't matter. The surface of the water sparkled, pristine and welcoming. These were the backwaters of the Mississippi River. And I'd never seen them so beautiful before. The water was usually so muddy. Something about that seemed odd, but it didn't matter. I closed my eyes and scrunched my toes in the sand. With the heat, it should have burned, but it felt like heaven, cool and soft. But when I opened my eyes again and looked down, I was standing on a bed of soft grass, not sand. I didn't give it another thought. It didn't matter.

"Time to cool off!" Ben shouted, grabbing me around the waist, hoisting me up.

I flailed, laughing, and tried to grab onto his shoulders, but before I could latch onto him. I was airborne. Hitting the water brought a total shock to my system as I left the overheated air and was enveloped by icy cold blackness. I gasped, water filling my lungs and choking me. I kicked out and waved my arms through the water, but it thickened around me and made my struggles so much more effort than I had the energy to make. I let myself fall, and when I landed on something hard and cool, I surrendered myself to the dark and let myself drift again.