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ONE

Black Rock Lake

Oranack, Maryland

Friday night

She thought she sed because her throat burned hot, as if splashed with sharp acid, but she wasn’t sure because she couldn’t think clearly Her mind felt dark, as heavy and thick as chains, and she knew to her soul there was violence just beyond it She s rancid, oil with a layer of rot and decay What was that sh yet to figure it out But she knew she had to, had to fight it or—what? I’ll die, that’s what I’ve got to get ot to wake up, or I’ll die

The ser, and she wanted to vomit She knew she had to be awake or she’d choke to death She had to move, to wake up

She sed again, nearly heaved when the acid in her throat htly, concentrated all her energy on opening her eyes, on feeling her body, on tearing herself out of the black shroud where she was unable to move or speak Her head felt heavy, her throat burned, and her es of her brain, were sharp hits of pain and fear, sweeping away the confusion, coh the numbness

She heard voices Mr Cullifer’s voice? She didn’t think so; his voice was very distinctive, like wet gravel underfoot But she couldn’t , if they werewas bad For her

The s it burned her eyes and her nose Suck it in, suck it in, get yourself together She breathed in deeply, ignored the nausea, and at last she felt her brain jitter, felt edges of consciousness spear up, tear through the black

It was dead fish she s now, and the s wet

They were picking her up—ere they?—carrying her, her feet, her ar, keep breathing She heard wooden planks creak, heard night sounds—crickets, an owl, the lapping of water

Her eyes flew open when she went airborne She hit the water hard on her back The slap of pain snapped her back into her brain and her body Instinctbreath before the water splashed over her face, closed over her head, before she was slowly dragged to the bottoh her hands weren’t tied, a rope rapped around her chest to hold her ar heavy—a block of cement, she knew that instinctively Too many Mafia movies They didn’t just want her to drown, they wanted her to disappear forever, like she’d never existed, never come into their lives

She didn’t want to die I’ to die

She was tied to the cehtly together She could do this, she could She quickly shiers went to work They were clumsy, but it didn’t matter, she didn’t want to die, and she worked frantically Surprisingly, she could see in the water, kneasn’t all that deep because she sensed the ernails under the knot and patiently, so patiently, worked it loose Her chest began to burn She ignored it, concentrated on the knots