Chapter 13
Arik felt them coming—the incredible and uncontrollable heat waves that burned his body and mind. There was nothing he could do about it. He knew he would lose consciousness soon. He braced his hands on the wall next to the calendar he was examining, and he saw a blurry date going in and out of focus—1864.
The calendar and the date glared at him, zooming in and out as if in an extremely fast sequence of camera snaps. He could hear his heart rate intensifying, beating in tune with the clock ticking on the wall, and feel the sweat trickling down his forehead.
“Arik, are you okay?”
He wanted to respond, but no words came out of his mouth. It felt as if thousands of needles were jabbing at his brain. He was breathless with the sensation. Arik shook his head.
“Look at me, Arik,
