Chapter 4An emergency room in Chicago. He was standing in a hospital room in Chicago, Illinois. America. No matter how many times David repeated that fact to himself, it never took on the quality of reality. It had to be some sort of dream. A bizarre nightmare, brought on by his own anxiety about Jonah’s disappearance, combined with cheap curry and too much beer. Unfortunately, that explanation couldn’t withstand the information his senses gathered. The steady beep beep beep of unseen yet critical machines. The smell of death and antiseptic—a universal smell, it seemed like. He didn’t trust his eyes. He knew how easy it was for those to lie. Eyes didn’t even need a reason to pass on an untruth. Still, all of the colors seemed right, and none of the angles were too sharp or crooked. So he m
