Chapter Six
STEVEN FELL INTO A dark, dreamless slumber. Somehow, he felt aware of his surroundings, which made him question whether he really was asleep, but he couldn’t move his limbs or even flutter his eyelids, so he couldn’t be awake. Could he?
Perhaps yes. Perhaps he was hovering in that state between dreaming and wakefulness, because now he was sure... he was quite sure... yes, he was sure he could smell smoke!
His eyes burst open, but he couldn’t see a thing, not even the ceiling above his head. The room was thick with dark, noxious clouds. He’d never smelled anything so foul in all his life. This wasn’t like a campfire, not at all. There was a chemical tinge to the aroma filling his nostrils, filling his lungs.
Why hadn’t the fire alarms gone off? They should be blaring
