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Levi
Levi didn’t know if he was dreaming. It felt like it. But if this was a dream, it was a cruel one. He was being rescued. He was being rescued by Jason DeGrave of all people, who hadn’t spoken to him since third grade, by the new goth girl, and by some little kid. That didn’t make sense. What would Jason DeGrave be doing out in the woods with these two? This made him think it was a dream. And then he kept hearing a fourth voice, which kept singing “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” This also made him think he was dreaming.
But could he be feeling this much pain in a dream? Maybe the pain was real, and the dream was the way his mind was explaining it. And if that was the case, then the pain had become much worse—worse than it had been since he’d first come to in the cellar. Every bone in his body must be broken. And his head was broken too. It pounded and pounded like a heartbeat, and the pain made his stomach insist on throwing up, but he didn’t have the energy.
He didn’t have the energy to do anything. He couldn’t even open his eyes. Was this what dying felt like? Okay, God, if this is it, please help me to be brave. And please clear my mind. I don’t want to die while some dream or hallucination sings me bad Christmas songs.
Wait, was he getting warmer? Yes, yes he was. Did this mean death? Or was this just another hallucination? He tried to concentrate, tried to order his thoughts, but they refused to cooperate. His mother was praying. He knew that. God, comfort her. Tell her I’m brave. It’s okay.
Something was different, though. His surroundings felt different. Dryer. And he couldn’t hear the water. He remembered being lifted then. Oh yeah, he’d been moved. They’d moved him.
Or had they?
He tried to move his hand to feel around, but he could only wiggle his fingers. But he could definitely tell that he was getting warmer. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn’t. Then he realized he was hearing a new sound.
There was an engine running. Right beside him.
