章 67: A Night in the Woods, Part Two

In trying to tame my wild breathing and stifled cries, I forced multiple chest-expanding breaths.

'Breathe in, breathe out... Breathe in, breathe out...' Like a mantra, I repeated this in my mind over and over to pace myself while clutching my hands against my chest.

Finally, after several minutes of my exercises, I reached a point of mental tranquility. Aside from an occasional, involuntary gasp for air, my breathing stabilized.

I stood up only to stumble backward, smacking my head on the tree's base. Given my weariness and previous fit of sobs, my mind was still too delirious for precise movement.

"Ah...damn..." I griped, rubbing the spot of impact on the back of my head and feeling the onset of light swelling.

I squinted my eyes and used the natural moonlight to gauge the surrounding room. What I saw were my companions scattered across the floor, sleeping soundly. Or most of them, at least.