Chapter 53The pressure on Charlie's throat was unbearable. She felt like it was going to pop her head right off, like a bottlecap off a bottle.
Every thought drained out of her head at once except one: She was going to die.
She couldn't breathe or swallow. She heard herself making strangling noises, but they sounded like they were coming from far away.
Her vision was fading, dissolving into a curtain of sparks and spots--but she had enough left to see someone running toward her.
It was Alex.
He charged across the pavilion, head bowed with determination. Charlie's vision pulsed to black just as he was about to reach her.
A sudden impact jarred her as he threw his arms around her legs. He lifted her up, and the pressure on her neck suddenly diminished.
Blood roared in her ears as
