Awake

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Silence. Intuition. The drugs finally wearing off. James was not entirely sure what woke him, but the end result was the same. He was awake and something was wrong.

The sounds of conversation and plates clinking from the restaurant under the hotel window were gone, so too were the distant sounds of the monorail mixed with the sounds of the crowd waiting for the giant water dinosaur to get fed. Yes, something was definitely wrong.

James had gotten sick on his first vacation as a graduated student. His parents had wanted to do something fun together as a family before they shipped him off to a respectable college. James hadn't wanted to get sick, but the runny nose and fever and coughing persisted and eventually his mother had insisted they take him to the only human doctor on the island. The doctor had prescribed a powerful drug to boost his immune system and to make him sleep.

"The immune boost will give his system what it needs to efficiently take care of this, and the sleep will help him fight it off even quicker." James had happily slipped into oblivian after his parents and sister waved good bye.

There was one drawback to the medicine though, it had made his eyes itch when he looked at the light. He had rolled off the bed like a zombie and pulled the comforter into the closet with him and fallen asleep. He vaguely remembered someone pounding on the door, but the drug had pulled him back under again before he could think too much about it.

Now he was fully alert. And hungry, he added as his stomach growled. James rolled to his feet and swayed a little. He had not eaten or drank any water for at least a day and his balance was off. Water and something light to eat, James added to his internal list of things to do. He opened the door to the closet and stopped.

It was morning, and he did not see his parents or his sister. The beds were empty, and the one he had not slept in was still made with his mothers suitcase open on the top. Where were they? They should be here.

"Mom!? Dad!?" James took three quick steps out of the closet and had to catch himself on the closest bed. He was still dizzy. "Jenna!?" He added his sister to the roll call and looked around the room. Everything looked exactly the way it had when he fell asleep. That meant... something he could not think about right now, he needed food. And water, he added to himself, licking his dry lips.

He wandered over the the mini fridge and took stock of its contents. Snacks, nothing substantial. He selected a cheese stick and an apple juice carton that his mom had bought for his little sister. He sat on the bed farthest away from the closet and closest to the window. the curtains were still held closed from where he had propped a chair against them to keep out the light.

Popping the end of the cheese stick into his mouth, James concentrated on getting the end of the straw to puncture the small seal on the top of the apple juice package. That task completed he turned his attention to the TV. It was so large it took up the remaining wall space above the electric fireplace. James turned it on and flipped through channels aimlessly until he came to the news channel. He was going to flip past it but something caught his eye.

"...ly every one was evacuated. We have reports of at least four people missing. James Dunnagan was the first person reported missing. After the boat arrived at the mainland his family began to frantically search the boat for him. The hotel had been searched before the evacuation for any people still sleeping, but he was nowhere to be found."

A picture appeared, it was a selection from his recent senior photo shoot. He was standing in a door way and holding one of his finer pieces from his sword, collection. They chose a good one, James thought, taking a sip from his juice box. He nearly spit it out again. Wait, evacuation? Four others missing, rescue mission, what?

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