He stops so suddenly he falls, burying his hands in inches of ash.
A van.
A van that's driving away from him.
A van that's being driven.
It's going slowly, heading off into the distance, kicking up a low cloud of ash behind it, but there it
is, solid as the world.
There's someone else in hell.
Seth staggers upright, waving his arms over his head before he can even think if it's a good idea or
not.
"Wait!" he shouts. "WAIT!"
And almost immediately, the van stops. It's far enough away that it shimmers in the heat rising from
the drying ash, but it definitely stops.
It definitely heard him.
Seth watches, his heart racing, his lungs laboring for air.
The door to the van opens.
And a pair of hands slap themselves over Seth's mouth from behind and drag him off his feet.