Gone
Chapter One
Tuesday, 12:24 a.m. PST
She is dreaming again. She doesn't want to. She wrestles with the
sheets, tosses her head, tries to keep the dream version of herself
from walking up those stairs, from opening that door, from entering
the gloom.
She wakes up stuffing the scream back into her throat, eyes bulging
and still seeing things she doesn't want to see. Reality returns in
slow degrees, as she registers the gray-washed walls, the dark-eyed
windows, the empty side of the bed.
She heads for the bathroom, sticking her head under the faucet and
gulping mouthfuls of lukewarm water. She can still hear the rain
thundering outside. It seems like it has been raining forever this
November, but maybe that's only her state of mind.
She goes into the kitchen. Note's still on the table. Seven days
later, she doesn't read it anymore, but can't quite bring herself to
throw it away.
Refrigerator inventory time: yogurt, tuna fish, pineapple, eggs. She
grabs the eggs, then realizes they expired two weeks ago.
Screw it, she goes back to bed.
Same dream, same images, same visceral scream.
... read full excerpt from Gone ebook
