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AIR RUSHED INTO RAY’S lungs after the water vomited out of his stomach. A combination of dirty water, snot, and spittle came up in raspy coughs. Oxygen was in short supply as his body prepared for the next dunk into the rusted tub. Whoever was gripping the back of his head couldn’t get a hold on his newly shortened hair. Ray could feel the crescents of sharp fingernails digging into his skull, drawing blood from the loose skin of his scalp. To get as much air into his lungs as he could before he was shoved underwater again, he nearly hyperventilated with quick gasps. His breathing eventually slowed as he realized he wasn’t going for another swim.
He took in the room between coughing fits. There was a dampness reminiscent of the bathhouse, but he had been moved. It was too run down, ab
