1:35AM by Scott Cawthon

Author:Scott Cawthon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

When he woke up and tried to stand, he immediately fell to the floor. His right leg wasn’t bearing weight like a leg was supposed to. As soon as he attempted standing, it crumpled beneath him as if it had no muscles or bones. Sitting on the floor, Stanley touched his right thigh and felt nothing. He slapped it, then punched it hard with his fist. Still nothing. The arm and hand he had used for punching were numb, too. What was happening to him? Was it some kind of degenerative disease that might leave him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life? But if it was, wasn’t it kind of strange for a degenerative disease to progress this rapidly? Maybe going to the walk-in clinic hadn’t been enough. Maybe he should let Melissa make him a doctor’s appointment. He probably needed to see some kind of specialist. Even if the doctor hurt him, it couldn’t be worse than what he was feeling now. He wondered if, like his dad, he had already waited until it was too late to get help.

With great effort, Stanley turned around, put his hands on the bed, and pulled himself to standing. He walked in a slow shuffle, dragging his right leg behind him and letting his left leg do most of the work.

How long had it been since he had eaten or drunk anything? He couldn’t remember. Water. He at least had to have water. He shuffled to the kitchen, still clean from Melissa’s efforts, and got a glass from the cabinet. He filled it with water from the tap and tried to drink.

Agony. Swallowing even a sip of cool water felt like swallowing ground-up glass. He retched over the sink, bringing up water pink with blood. He had thought he might try to heat up some soup, but if he couldn’t even drink, eating was out of the question. And the very thought of swallowing anything hot was unbearable.

His phone rang, making him remember, miserably, that he had left it in the bedroom. He dragged himself toward the insistent ringing, but by the time he got there, it had stopped. The caller ID said “Mom.” He knew what she was like. If he didn’t call her back, she would automatically think he was dead.

“Hello? Stanley?” She answered on the first ring.

“Hi, Mom.” Stanley tried to make his voice sound normal, but it came out husky with a little mouselike squeak at the end.

“You sound terrible.”

“Yeah, people keep saying that.” He lay down on the bed to talk. No need to waste the energy it took to sit upright.

“Melissa came over to pick up the kids after she was at your place last night. She said you were a wreck.”

“That’s nice to hear.” There was nothing like knowing your mom and your sister had been talking about what a loser you are.

“It’s not something to joke around about, Stanley.” His mom was using her stern voice, the one she had mastered when he used to get into trouble as a kid.

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