Darius felt like his eyelids had been glued shut, and his ears filled with water. There were many muffled voices around him calling his name; they seemed to be coming from somewhere distant … very distant. Something about this thought made his eyes fly open, and he sat upright.

And just like that, Darius sat up in his hospital bed. Everyone present gaped at him. No one had expected him to suddenly wake up and sit up like this.

Darius winced at the sunlight pouring in through the windows. He fe