Entangled by Stephanie Black

Author:Stephanie Black
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: suspense;Stephanie Black;Clair Poulson;Gregg Luke;Traci Abramson;mystery;chills;intense;clean;contagion;disease;
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: 2019-07-26T22:02:19+00:00

CHAPTER TWO

Saturday, July 15, 2000

“Mr. Miner? Mr. Miner, can you hear me?” The female voice wasn’t one Andrew recognized. She sounded young—maybe twentyish.

Andrew struggled to open his eyes, struggled to crawl out of the foamy gloom swishing through his head. He moved his mouth, but no words formed. All he could manage was a thin, wheezy garble. His mind felt strangely disconnected. He knew what he wanted to say; he just couldn’t make it happen. It was as if his body didn’t know how to respond to prompts from his brain.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Miner. I can’t understand you. Can you speak clearer?”

I’m trying! he wanted to shout. He had no idea where he was. The room—if he was in a room—smelled strangely antiseptic. He heard the low hum of electronic equipment. He felt some discomfort across his torso but no real pain. As he fought to gain perception, a sudden clarity enlightened his mind, like someone had flipped a switch, dissolving the murk. He remembered every detail of his disastrous vault attempt: the tremors, the lack of muscle response, the uncontrolled flight, the collision, the crash landing, the screaming. With crushing finality, he knew his missed attempt meant he did not make the team. All because of a stupid muscle twitch.

Andrew had feared the rapidly worsening symptoms he’d been experiencing over the past few weeks would not go away on their own. But he kept hoping. Now, with his fears confirmed, his throat involuntarily seized. He found it very difficult to swallow. All-consuming panic surged against his ability to maintain a sense of composure. He felt his body begin to seize; his arms and legs convulsed wildly, yanking against some kind of restraint.

“You need to calm down, Mr. Miner. You’re going to hurt yourself again. Just try to relax.”

He was trying! He just couldn’t coordinate the movement of any limb, couldn’t even keep his thoughts on any one item for more than a few moments. It confused him as much as it scared him—and simultaneously made him angry. Focusing all his efforts on relaxing, he felt himself gradually mellow to a fidgety tremor. Wanting to be as coherent as possible, he deliberately released a lungful of air while shaping his mouth until it made the right sound.

“Whhhhhere?”

“You’re at Mercy General Hospital here in Sacramento. My name is Sarah. I’m your floor nurse. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

He forced a jerky nod and raised his brows until his eyes peeled opened. The room’s brightness made him wince.

“Well, hello there,” Nurse Sarah said, smiling at him. She was indeed twenty-something; she was young but exuded confidence. “Welcome back. Do you remember why you’re here?”

He pressed himself to take in his surroundings but couldn’t keep his eyes fixed on any one object for very long. A bright hospital room—hence the antibacterial smell. A standard, two-bed suite—the second bed empty. No one present but the nurse and himself. Health monitors hummed on either side of his bed. Daylight glared from behind louvered blinds. He got it all, but the effort made his head pound.

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