Page 84 of Shattering Dawn

He tried to recall the survival and emergency items on the shelves around him. He did not remember seeing any masks.

He yanked off his button-down shirt, wrapped it around his nose and mouth, and secured it with a bulky knot.

Satisfied he had done all he could to protect himself, he checked his phone. He did not expect to get service. He was right.

Dropping the phone into a trouser pocket, he groped for and found one of the flashlights. He switched it on and was mildly amazed when a beam of light speared the darkness. Given the way his luck had been running today he had been prepared for dead batteries.

He listened intently for a moment but there was only silence from the bathroom. Evidently no one was anxious to open the cell door. Probably waiting for the gas to take effect. He began the possibly pointless search for a concealed exit.

He considered the layout of the house and concluded that if there was a concealed way out of the cell it would go down, not through one of the walls. Anyone trying to escape would want to get as far away as possible. There wouldn’t be much point in walking into a bedroom or a hallway.

Working on that theory, he pushed the shelving out of the way and began methodically tapping the floor with his cane. He had covered about half the space when the visions began to appear.

“Shit,” he whispered.

Now, at least, he could confirm the purpose of the gas: It wasn’t supposed to kill him outright. It was designed to make him delusional. Someone wanted him kept alive long enough to be questioned while under the influence of a powerful hallucinogen.

He was able to suppress the effects at first, but the nightmares were coming at him in waves. Reality began to sink beneath the rising tide of disorienting visions.

Not real. Not real. Not real.

But the silent chant could not hold off the flood. The gas was suppressing his ability to control his psychic senses. He was drowning in a dreamscape that came straight out of his own private nightmares.

Was this what it was like for those he targeted with his talent? No wonder they retreated into unconsciousness. The waking mind could not handle the wild storms of dream energy. Was he on his way into a coma?

No, he decided, at least not yet. He would be questioned first.

He tried to move the cane more quickly around the floor but he was having trouble with his balance. He misjudged the position of the walking stick. It slid sideways. He grabbed at the metal shelving but only succeeded in toppling it against one wall.

He went down hard. Pain jolted through his injured leg. The flashlight fell from his hand and rolled across the floor, the beam of light twisting and turning until it came to rest on a wall.

The visions intensified. He knew then that if he did not gain control he would go mad. He groped for the cane, struggling to get back on his feet.

The disembodied voice came to him out of the darkness.

“Can you hear me, Gideon Sweetwater? You are hallucinating now. But you have the power to make the dreams stop. All you have to do is answer my questions.”

Chapter Forty-nine

“…It’s obvious youhave a powerful talent, Sweetwater. That makes the first question simple. Who enhanced you?”

The disembodied voice was the only steady vibe in the shifting sea of chaotic dreams, but he knew if he concentrated on it, it would lead him to his doom.

“Just answer the question,” the voice urged.“That’s the way out of the hallucinations. If you don’t answer the question you will soon be trapped in an endless nightmare. You will never wake up.”

If he gave the voice any answers he would die in this room. And if he died he would not be able to help Amelia.

Amelia.He had to get to her. She was in terrible danger. Shelton might not be able to keep her safe.

Pain shafted through his leg again when he struggled to get up off the floor but he managed to haul himself to his hands and knees.

Amelia.

He would cling to her name, not the fucking voice.

“You must answer me, Gideon Sweetwater. The dreams will stop if you tell me who enhanced you…”

“Amelia,” Gideon whispered.