Prologue
Nick squinted in the bright
sunlight. As his eyes
adjusted to the light, he saw a car, lying in a deep ditch off the side of the
narrow, deserted road. It had sunk down slightly in the muddy ground, and it looked like
it would be impossible to get it out without a strong tow truck to help.
Nick then noticed a girl sitting in
the backseat. He could see her
through the rolled down window, just sitting there, her head down. Nick approached her slowly and realized she was crying. Sobbing.
Nick came closer, hoping he could help
her. But suddenly, she
disappeared from the window, as if she had suddenly ducked down in her
seat. Confused, Nick
hurried down the steep ditch and towards the car. He came up to it, ignoring the feel of his shoes sinking into the
mud, and peered into the backseat. He gasped at what he saw.
The girl was now lying in the
backseat, leaned up against a man, who was leaned against the back door on the
other side. Both of them were
motionless, their eyes closed, fast asleep. Nick studied them a moment. The girl was a pretty one, though her face was smudged with dirt
and tears, and her blonde hair was dirty and tangled. The man, however, Nick could not see clearly. His face was somehow blurry, and Nick was unable to make out his
features. Nick stared
harder, his eyes narrowing as he watched them. And suddenly, he felt a wave of nausea as he realized the sick
truth. They were not
sleeping. They were both
dead…
Nick jerked up abruptly, breathing
hard from his dream. He looked
around in confusion, then realized he
was still in his hospital room, where he had been for the last few weeks. He let himself calm down a bit, and then he fell into a dreamless
sleep.
***
