••••
Groaning, I throw everything I have behind the switch. Some distant part of me hears Loveth moan as well, but I ignore it as I feel the switch move. It's just a tiny bit at first, but as I continue to shove, it picks up speed. I notice something running from my nose—most likely blood. My ears start ringing again, and we tumble to the floor, too weak to support ourselves.
Just before I black out from the effort of moving the switch, I hear a small, almost imperceptible yawn.….
...…..
I wake with a start as fear courses through me, followed immediately by massive pain in my skull, and I collapse backward onto a soft surface.
"He's awake," a voice says, sounding distant, but I recognize it as Stephanie's.
What's she doing here? I wonder, and then realize that I must have been dropped back home after I went unconscious.
I sit up again as I remember why I was unconscious in the first place.
"My kids," I croak, and I was startled by the sound of my own voice.
