The gunman had Kevin pinned down. It was too dark to see anything, and the cold rain made Kevin shiver. For some reason, the gunman could see Kevin every time he tried to take a look when he lifted his head above the barricade, but Kevin could see nothing except the flash of the barrel just before he ducked down. Concrete chips showered his head. His only chance was to change positions, and that meant losing the safety of the concrete barricade. Kevin jumped up and ran. Instead of sprinting to a closer barricade, his feet dragged. The air pushed on him like molasses and his legs felt like they were weighted down. Then came the flash, and Kevin felt the bullet impact his abdomen. The gunman was right in front of him and Kevin raised his service revolver to fire, but the trigger was stuck. The gunman grinned at Kevin, stepped forward, and raised his gun. With a taunting sneer, the gunman opened his mouth and shouted, “BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!”
Given the alternative, Kevin didn’t mind waking as much this time. The sleepiness still felt like a weight pushing him down. He sat up and turned off the alarm clock, then looked at it closely to make sure he hadn’t just hit the snooze. His pillow looked so inviting. It felt like soft fingers were reaching out and pulling him back toward it and the oh-so-soft bed. He shook it off and stood up. Putting his hands on his forehead, he slowly pushed them back across his head and down toward his neck. Holding on to his neck he stretched back, holding it there, feeling the tight strain on his triceps and between his shoulder blades. He let his hands drop and lumbered across the room toward the bathroom.