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Jay suddenly sprang awake, his entire body covered in a cold sweat. He remembered the horrible dream he'd had and willed the remnants of it out of his mind.
Clutching his chest, he still saw Nora... her broken and battered body laying in the road, and dead. Paul Levesque standing in the shadows with a knife or gun - he couldn't tell which - laughing maniacally.
"Just a dream... Just a dream."
From the next bed, Amy stirred, awakened by his quick mantra. She sat up sleepily, rubbing at one eye as she peered at him.
"Jay?"
The short-haired blond man repeated, "Just a dream." Then, silent, he turned to face his friend. She was looking at him with such concern, it damn near broke his heart. "Damn it, did I wake you, Amy? I'm so sorry."
The redhead shook her head, waving one hand toward him.
"You didn't... It's okay." She regarded him silently for a beat, then glanced down at Adam, who, somehow, was sleeping soundly beside her. "What happened?"
"Huh?"
"Your dream," she spoke softly. "You were just chanting, 'Just a dream.' What did you dream about?"
Jay shuddered at the memory of it. Again, he clutched his chest, that tightening, sickening sensation suddenly creeping up on him again. It was almost as though he could barely breathe, and he realized he was probably having a panic attack, much like Nora had had mere days earlier.
"It... It was horrible." He shut his eyes tightly, swallowing hard.
Amy remained silent as she kept her gaze on him. She knew full well he was about to continue, and she didn't want to interrupt.
"I was on some road," he revealed. "I guess I was walking. And I came across a woman's body, laying on that road." The Canadian gave a slight shiver and continued. "As I took a closer look, I saw that it..."
Amy listened, rapt but full of horror. She knew exactly where this was going.
"... it was Nora." Jay winced, shaking his head as his hands balled into loose fists. "And then, just beyond, I saw Levesque," he nearly spat the name. "He was holding something. A knife, a gun, I don't know."
The redhead shook her head.
"It was just a dream, Jay," she whispered. "That's not gonna happen. We're going to find Nora - alive."
The blond man was suddenly dismayed as he realized his teeth were chattering. Willing them to stop, he moved his gaze on his friend's sleepy hazel eyes and nodded. He hoped to God or whatever entity might exist that she was right.
*
Shane roused from a superbly fitful sleep, not quite sure what had alerted him. Slowly, he glanced around, instantly recalling how they had gone into a motel for the rest of the night on their search. And then, he heard the sound... It was very soft, almost muffled but unmistakable.
"Torrie? Baby?"
The blonde woman beside him was huddled beneath the sheet and blanket, sobbing. She had tried her best to remain as quiet as humanly possible, yet still she'd awakened her boyfriend. She felt badly about that.
"Hey." Shane lowered himself to her level and placed a gentle hand on her shaking shoulder. As he lay back down beside her, he moved his hand around to her face, tilting it up just enough to see it. With her bloodshot teary blue eyes and quivering mouth, his heart was just about broken.
"Torrie, please don't cry," he whispered, gathering his girlfriend into his arms and rocking her as one would a baby.
"I can't help it," she replied. "I... I'm so scared, Shane!" She clung onto him desperately as he rocked her back and forth. "What if... we don't find her?" She bit her lip, dreading that she had actually said that aloud. She knew it was childish, but she'd thought if she didn't voice it, there was no chance of it actually becoming reality.
"We'll find her," Shane said softly. He suddenly realized they weren't the only ones awake as he heard softly speaking voices coming from the other bed. He raised his head a little. "Steph?"
"We're awake," his sister announced. She sat up and ran a hand through her mussed brown hair.
Kurt let out a groan and hid his head under a pillow. He hated not getting enough sleep, even when they were in the midst of a crisis.
"Torrie," Stephanie started, "come on - pull together! We're gonna find Nora. Paul is going straight back to prison, and they'll never let him out."
The blonde sat up and looked at her friend. After a beat, she sniffled and asked, "You really think so?"
"Absolutely," the brunette stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "He escaped and kidnapped a person. There's no way he'll get out again."
Torrie blinked rapidly as she glanced from Stephanie to her older brother. As Shane put an arm around her, she
sincerely hoped all of that was true.