“Sam! You worthless piece of shit! Come here!” I nearly fall. His words cripple me, and I’m angry and saddened. I don’t know what to do. I keep climbing; the top of the stairs is near. I don’t look back as I run across the paved landing. It’s actually a parking ramp. I hear sirens and blue and red lights flash around me. They’re after me because I escaped that dungeon. An officer spots me and I run, this time quickly on the solid ground. They’ll never catch me. This is my dream. I stop. I check my watch, but I can’t read it. This is a dream. Just a dream. I try to stay calm because too much excitement or panic will cause me to lose any control I have gained at this moment. The parking lot is empty except for a few cars. I go to one, a black one with dark tinted windows. The seats are leather, and I feel they are beseeching me to sit in them, or at least the driver’s seat. And I don’t argue. I speed down the road, reaching 60…70…90…100…120…130! Everything around me is a blur, and I feel only the rush of speeding. Thoughts of the past couple weeks creep their way to my relaxed mind. Genie and Liam. They’ve been spending a lot of time together it seems. I was fired from my job. I hate my boss, Douglas. He doesn’t let anyone call him Doug. I stop the car, and I can see my office building. Being lucid is too much fun, and I owe Douglas a visit. I walk up to the fourth floor and enter a conference room where Douglas and my exco-workers are discussing the month’s budget. “Hello Doug.” Douglas looks up at me. “Excuse me? What did you just call me?” “I called you Doug. Do you have a problem with me calling you Doug, Doug?” “No, I—” “Good. Because you’re fired.” I enjoy the look of confusion and panic that spreads throughout Doug’s features. His skin pales,
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