Chapitre 25: Chapter 25: Ransom, Part 5

Charlotte

Cold...

Pain...

Thirst...

...

I'm thirsty...

My eyes open to... an unfocussed fog... And droop closed again...

...

...

... and open once more...

The fog swirls... then clears. A blur of grey and brown and black resolves into detail...

And the detail means nothing...

Where am I?

Master?

I'm hurting...

Master?

Michael?

I want to speak, but my mouth is dry and puffy, lips gummy, sticking together... My jaws won't work... like some nightmare where I want to scream but the sound won't come out...

Sucking at my tongue and cheeks, to work up saliva, I try again to speak, but all that emerges is a whimper.

I'm so cold...

The fog clears some more and slowly it comes to me that I'm lying on my side on some hard surface. Pressed against it at shoulder and hip and cheek, the chill strikes up into flesh and bone. When I try to move, nothing happens. I'm stiff, my muscles unresponsive.

Woozy, my thinking is tattered...

What happened?

Master?

Michael?