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Matchbox Fourteen I grabbed the stick and flung it across the bus. Adam leapt backward and fell into the seat behind him. " ' the hell you doing?" I exclaimed as I sat up. "I thought that was a safe way to wake you up!" Adam replied. "I don't want a sprained wrist!" I rubbed my eyes. "Adam, what are you doing here?" I murmured as I put my glasses on. "Kyle's on his way to the hospital." "Why?" I replied, staring into Adam's sleep-glazed eyes. "What happened?" "Paul heard him coughing and wheezing through the paper walls and went to go check on him," Adam explained, leaning toward me. "Kyle was having a hard time breathing, and his skin was burning hot. Paul thinks he's got a fever of, like, 104. He called 911. You didn't hear the ambulance in the parking lot?" I shook my head. "Sounds like he does have bronchitis," I sighed. I reached for my carton of cigarettes but decided against smoking. "So did Paul go with him to the hospital?" "Yeah," Adam replied, rubbing his eyes. He was wobbling around on the cushion as his eyelids strained to stay open. I glanced out the window. The roads were wet; it must have rained while I was asleep. Another thing I'd missed while dreaming. My breath fogged the glass. I sat back and sighed, then turned to Adam. He was curled up in a ball, asleep. How could he sleep now? I stepped out of the tour bus and locked the door behind me. A damp chill hung in the air as I wandered through the parking lot. A breeze whispered past the trees and caressed my face, sending a shiver down my spine. Crossing and clutching my arms to my chest, I plodded through the puddles. I lowered my foot into each one, but my footprint disappeared, even as I raised up my leg. My steps came heavier, and closer together. My arms broke free of one another. And I ran. My feet slammed into puddles, rain water exploding around them. But, when I looked behind me, everything was just as before. The more I ran, the more heavily I breathed. The bitter air coursed through my lungs and singed my breaths. I had to slow down. As I walked, I realised that I had to stop. I was panting as I returned to the bus, tired and feeling ridiculous. I ascended the steps, panting, and found Adam still asleep. He had shifted, and his back was now facing me. I sat down and watched him. I watched his body rise and fall in tune with his breath. My mind was clouding. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I don't know how long I was out of it when the phone in the tour bus rang. "Kyle!" Adam exclaimed, and my eyelids flew open. He was still asleep, and the phone rang again. I jumped up and grabbed the receiver. "Paul?" "Hey, Pookie!" It wasn't Paul. |