Chapter 2

Where the hell am I?Elaine wonders from where she sits, in the heart of a meadow encircled by endless rings of wildflowers.

The explosion of color is overwhelming, almost painful on her retinas, but also impossible to turn away from. The beauty is beyond breathtaking. Beyond words. Hers, anyway. All those brilliant hues: aubergine larkspurs, frothy pink-and-white milkweed, daisies as bright as the sun, and forget-me-nots bluer than the sky. An unseen creek burbles in the background while birds chirp overhead. The sounds are as soothing as a warm hug.

There is peace here. Maybe a deeper peace than she has ever experienced. No selfish politicians blocking the provision of lifesaving harm-reduction measures to desperate users. No speeches to write or rallies to organize. No infighting among her own community. No opportunistic upstarts angling to steal her thunder. No paralyzing anxiety. No predatory uncle. No sweet temptation from the pills. No one dying alone in the street.

And no little brother incapable of forgiveness. If Tyler could be here with her now, surely, he would he finally find it in his heart to forgive her.

There is, Elaine suddenly conjures the word, acceptance among the wildflowers.

She sweeps her hand through an inflorescence of violets without feeling anything on her fingertips. This only makes her laugh. As she reaches out again, the nearby stems rustle almost imperceptibly. But it’s warning enough. She withdraws her hand as if burned.

He’s back!

Jagged teeth, whiter than ivory, appear one-by-one between the blooms. The rest of his bloody snout, shaped to rip flesh from bone, materializes, then his huge gray head. Once more, she’s being devoured by those ravenous black eyes.

Even Elaine is startled by the bloodcurdling scream that arises in her belly and blasts out of her mouth.