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He said I owed him, but I’d already paid with a twenty-five-year sentence under that roof.

Over and over and over again.

I can’t smell the barbecue anymore. Can’t hear the wind whispering through the leaves.

It’s quiet.

So, I float.

Until the pain in my chest is replaced by the ache in my abs and the burning in my back from holding my head above water.

Slowly but surely, the ringing in my ears abates.

And I float.

I’m safe.

Not running.

Not broken.

This is temporary.

Not forever.

Things like this never last forever.

I’m okay.

Fire spreads throughout my lungs before licking my skin.

Half of my body is submerged in water, and it still feels like the flames are consuming me.

There’s a severed connection between my brain and my organs. Because I can’t force myself to pull in air.

The burning sensation intensifies and the only thing I do is wince while my eyes twitch against my closed lids.

Before long, the taste of chlorine hits my tongue at the sametime my nostrils flare.

This is wrong. I can’t wake up. Stuck somewhere between consciousness and a realm I can’t escape.

This is wrong. Yet I can’t stop it.

Maybe if I relax, it won’t feel like this.

Tension leaves my muscles, and I let out a gargling sigh.

Then I sink.

Chapter 16

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ADONIS