d was

lf as he stumbled away from Black Holl

is gut, he kn

hadn't d

simply

was still

-

Jones tried

om miles away, and tried to convince

e heard th

leep. Faint at firs

... he

Donald'

r air, his sheets

ng wasn

en he

mpty lot across the street, where

the

ctly

it

r

-

running wou

t had anchored itself to him,

sacrificed hims

re had to be a

ed to g

front the house

-

d through th

id, the world o

ing. The hallways shifted, t

had no rul

-he hear

ou shouldn'

s tu

ding at the top

Do

wasn't

ack voids, his s

e had ch

de him it

--

d said, his voice hollow.

s head. "I cam

t wasn't his laugh-it

om," Donald whispe

walls bega

m the ceilings, stre

kening, ready to

ad one

nal from his jacket-the one filled

final page, wher

be freed if another

tr

had sav

had to do

-

Donald. "I'm taki

express

t time, he l

," Donald whispered.

efused to b

knees and began re

use sc

alls

utching his chest as if somet

th

ing col

-

oke up

e morning sun r

ting up, his h

use wa

d this time

eside

na

iv

to normal. H

use wa

na

Jones, voice ra

aking breath. "Yea

e, staring at the empty lot w

as o

... they ho

e, a soft whisper stil

se never

-