Chapter 98

• LIAM
• "Hey, wake up." I tapped Richardson's cheek, watching as he blinked back to consciousness, his gaze flickering and unfocused as he registered where he was. The room was dim, the faint light from a cracked bulb above casting hard shadows on his face. Just him and me now.
• "Drink. You must be thirsty," I said, holding a plastic bottle of water to his cracked lips. He took it greedily, gulping it down, coughing between swallows as water spilled over his chin. Desperation showed in the way he shoved his head forward for more, drinking slower this time, drawing every drop from the bottle like his life depended on it.