Book Three: Feel the Burn

A TANGY, SALTY TASTE ON my lips broke through the darkness. I blinked awake, trying to swallow but my tongue felt thick and awkward. An absolute lack of saliva made me painfully aware of an aching thirst and parched throat. Blinking again, I tried to make sense of where I lay, my limbs heavy and aching on a dense soft surface. I groaned, then broke into a hacking cough. Red flashed behind my eyelids. Each cough felt like a file scraped the back of my throat ...