CHAPTER 5
I barely remember walking to the bedroom, but again, a blast of sunlight wakes me. It’s not so much the brightness of it this time, but the heat. It sears my face. It warms my skin, uncomfortably hot. And the air… the air is hot in my lungs too. Dusty and thick or—
I cough. My eyes fly open.
The air is hazy with dark, but it’s not the normal velvet of night—it makes my eyes burn, the air much too dry. Is this a dream?
I squint. I pinch my arm—pain. No, this isn’t in my head. Though I can see nothing amiss in the blackness, I feel the wrongness on my skin. The hairs along my spine prickle with heat. I reach to my left, feeling in the dark until I grab someone’s shoulder. He stirs and grumbles—Mack. I’m glad it’s him. He’ll believe me… well, maybe.
“Something’s wrong,” I whisp
