Ismael opened his eyes.
He was still lying in bed in that wretched hospital room.
Beside him, Marta and Abraham lay slumped on two plastic chairs where they'd fallen into what seemed like a shallow, uneasy sleep.
The priest would have been sorry for them if not for the emptiness growing inside him. Was that a nightmare? He stared at the ceiling. No, reality is the nightmare.
"He's awake," Abe told his wife before dragging his chair closer to his friend. "Compa, can you hear me?"
Ismael refused to answer.
Why bother?
Darkness awaits us all, he thought before disappearing within himself.