Consciousness returned with sharp pains.  

I curled into a fetal position, and remained as still as possible until the pain subsided. As the initial rush diminished, realization settled in. I was alive. Unless hell meant existing with the same pain inflicted at death. 

The quieted pain allowed my attention to shift from the internal, to my external surroundings. The lights in the bedroom were off, but lights from the hallway filtered in from the open door like breadcrumbs. As I became more aware of my surroundings, I became aware the bed I’d been placed on wasn’t in some random hotel room, house, or apartment....

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