Chapter 54

ETHAN

It happened in an instant, although I didn't initially notice when it did.

Sitting in the lustrous leather seat of the saloon, the engine purring in a calm rhythmic hum, the faint city lights drawing long streaks on the dark canvas of the night sky, my little mind began to drift away. Slowly, I began to get a feeling that I was moving into an uncharted realm. It wasn't easy to express, but it was as though one moment I was chatting with Brent with so much excitement, and the next moment, I was slipping into something I suspected was more than just a slumber.

I tried to dismiss it as tiredness. I told myself that the fatigue of the day was seeping into my bones, making a somewhat intoxicating drowsiness weigh heavily upon me. But that was all normal, right? It was normal to get tired. Besides, it's no surprise since I had spent most of the day at the store.

But, of course, this was merely my mind making an excuse to make sense of my reality – which, in all honesty, wasn't feeling