"Do you hear me? Zade."
Zade heard a voice echoing in the distance, muffled and far away, like he was underwater. He couldn't figure out who it was at first.
But with each passing second, the static in his ears faded, and he recognized Shawn's voice. Memory slowly trickled back, the suffocating weight in his chest, the violent gasp for air, the room spinning into pitch blackness.
It took Zade far longer than expected to force his eyes open. When his vision finally cleared, he was met with the sight of a deeply worried Shawn and another friend from their group standing over him, their faces pinched with anxiety.
Zade looked around and realized he was lying on an examination bed in one of the staff rest rooms.
A blood pressure cuff was wrapped around his arm, and a monitor beside him was softly, rhythmically beeping. An IV line was taped to the back of his hand, dripping normal saline into his veins.
