2. The Zombie Outbreak

Screeeeech—!!80d95bee465f45ff

A car driving 2dbe2fd898 in the wrong e6e1b4cea5 direction crashed into 75639093ec the central divider 71a190c393 before careening onto 962446e98f the sidewalk.677a53d56846c119

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Screams of shock e1808e2e76 erupted from all 67cc38d8e8 directions. Fortunately, no fe004871bf one was 9b3d5caf98 hit by 0c1aef63ba the out-of-control 4920972527 vehicle.10e0d49adffbf06f

The car only 387d93dae6 came to a 41c96efcdb stop after slamming 0e6eb4b88e into a utility f93b7ce6ce pole. Pieces of the 59748d875e car flew across 0ab2e22549 the asphalt, creating 7589a573ce a clatter.33b0de78c79f87fd

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The driver, crushed by ff8a911f20 the inflated airbag, flailed 98acff7907 their arms, twisting in 3f231fa001 their seat.077c8ffa6a526344

The hood of fbd3956652 the car was 44df9d67ab crumpled, but the 7dedd4889e driver’s seat remained ad558e3f28 intact. Yet the driver inside 425a246c54 was convulsing violently.5d8ebf57667919b5

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I witnessed aaa841ecbf the accident d77baddb82 from across 45bef3818e the street b1a3be2153 and, though 6e073b8522 startled for c9111fa39e a moment, 79f9aaaf26 soon grimaced 92631049db and turned 307e7593e0 away.03171fa0102d39ac

“Did they take drugs? I swear, drug addicts should have their licenses revoked.”3a8050a01b277059

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I shrugged it off, b4d0483146 assuming it was just f5d4827a9b another incident caused by 134f0546a3 some drunk or drug ddfd7646a9 addict.b990e1e7c9248226

It’s as if 1c2d4d9ee1 the world is c3f8aa9b33 falling apart—there’s no ab61baf46e end to these 64e8b9edfd lunatics causing accidents. This month alone, 5cda565886 there have been 918d5f75b9 three shooting incidents, d762e92838 and drug-related deaths d86e0aa1ec have increased by 50028ef134 20% compared to b086eb6d4f last year.13e05ab9be4cf2d8

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In a city riddled cadeb27153 with violent crimes, ignoring 58b536473b a car crash in 3dfe505d2d broad daylight wasn’t unusual.ed81f4b0b99212c7

After walking 36be025cbe more than 28d41c0987 a block 5ea726c995 away from cb6236ad58 the crash 504948eb9d site, I c35e2f94f7 suddenly heard 827603f493 a loud 9de4952c0b scream.2ae1df7140269c34

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“Ahhhhh!!”67865045b5f1fdd5

The piercing a76611672b cry made f1d40b8a03 me stop 83888d8028 in my d57ffd1d4f tracks. My spine tingled, and 1c95fc39a0 an uneasy feeling washed 73ce9a2226 over me.21eceded12a3fef5

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‘What’s going on?’0e34af197383b6fb

Turning back, I ad92253610 saw a crowd d911d06efe gathering around the 7dd4757d3c scene of the 6a9dc3b7a3 accident. The swarm b587a5de9d of people 659dc0f5c8 made it 9e0ee98352 impossible to 023a2828d7 see what c641f511f0 was happening.04563fc6f7de5852

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The people, forming 1da1dd6c78 a tight circle, e4397faa48 seemed to be 0931dbee20 both watching and e3408f308a attempting to intervene, bfa1852ee3 as if something dadcdf255d alarming was unfolding.e5d2ee94c98bde9b

‘Where are the police when you need them?’3f76291af5a76f13

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My heart pounded again. Not wanting to 060f47e54e get caught up b397baad49 in the commotion, 20ad6acb86 I quickened my 3ad7517e87 pace and hurried 1aeb8f53a3 away from the 1dbd53acf6 scene.49e704738d162b23

This neighborhood is always 824fb64d13 noisy. All I 8d752902f5 wanted was d066742877 to leave 80a6a2edfc this wretched a6bbe54b2f hometown as cb087250e1 soon as 958b68f530 possible.8c02228efb2af043

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‘Once I get into college, I won’t have to deal with this anymore.’908ff03308849b24

For now, I 06514de582 was stuck working da75628416 part-time in this 2776ae7938 grimy city, but 221e8a3b76 soon, a bright 54c1807779 future awaited me.57bd2be2d08ebaaf

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I had e7da8aed29 been accepted 7e5556aaaf as a 3b0306f7fe scholarship student 9b4c5bf44a at a 426c42985d prestigious university, 3d983e0b52 something I d7d40ce31c had desperately ae886feed4 longed for.095c58e31d039219

Finally, I could 2facc7bbd1 leave this city 34b58bbd16 behind. A chance to 786d668b5e erase the miserable 28ec1d28a2 past.53ddebf67bdd4cef

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In the near f7cd035850 future, I’d be f94db1b73f living a sparkling 9a8693a1ea campus life, eventually 2bf1188031 becoming a successful 709f55c5c2 lawyer, walking tall 013961b0e3 among high-rise buildings.2bf76717c379c992

I’d be 247465c8ce a winner, 019e47035c moving on ed6cfc4e59 to a 4b0e1ef772 bigger world! That would be 36c5737dd8 me.8a676a4107a34c29

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The accident from earlier 4936f73c80 had long faded from edce1cb0b9 my mind. As I finished my 5bcec1584d shift and headed home, 461e58c840 my steps grew lighter.4b22e143630373f1

* * *e85262ad2e71e25f

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After a short 7ec033db1a walk, I came 1bfc7d138a across a garage, d53080bcca reeking of gasoline. The strong smell 8a39f53828 made me frown.d8c333913802c314

Broken cars were haphazardly 1684302efb parked, and deflated tires e8dc7839e9 were piled high. Inside the 6000806243 garage, I 198700a00c spotted a c877497503 man in d592a6290f an oil-stained 1d689d2a8e work uniform.eefde4f9662cfb35

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He had been lying 4d27ce0d0d under a car, but 2c90b843c0 now he slid out 9b7d556815 from beneath it. His face was familiar.a32da15fe34204f3

He wore fb26df8099 a tied-up 924dd68e4b work suit f06369c436 over a 9d5a0d975c black short-sleeved 878452e60a shirt, his 36ca9bbc29 hazel-colored hair 78ff48383c and sharp 822a109af3 features unmistakable.f0d27f3beda0ef5f

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‘Logan.’e44141265ac16106

It seemed he 807e3e34c3 had decided not 3f1c79bd0d to go to 4ccf6cc827 college and instead 77066a0a55 take over his 2c7a2dfe38 father’s repair shop.94df865a8ff6127d

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I had heard 732b0bbb6a he received scouting 7b24fe54ce offers from several f496aad35b universities, thanks to 98343d78a2 his impressive football 31bb3bbeae record. But he rejected 6004778b52 them all to 6752331957 stay in this 7611f739b4 city. His foolish a790ea85b3 decision made 2023034685 me chuckle.0d202a7e25f26e9d

‘You can keep living a0e6b004e6 in this dump while afe70a2f6d I move on to db936406cb better things.’d6e027fd66fdde2b

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A sense of superiority bc95d6a0ca tugged at the corners e8fb2e1e91 of my mouth. It wasn’t f8d2cd1343 that I 2acd962a5d held a abdbefb83f grudge against ad965848c4 Logan.6c40c810062ebe8e

Well, maybe 43c1570e47 a little?ba86d0aab946886b

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We had to 321c45e9ab spend a lot 1ace1ed802 of time together eb392b5d1f growing up since 6b0dcd0496 we were next-door d18e809bb0 neighbors, but we 592320b41d never really got 26c4de576f along.3ecf8163cae2312d

I liked drawing and 48f05ee6db reading books, while Logan 293d54a0b4 was hyperactive and violent. Most of my fc4a6ee8a1 memories of playing ee0d86c5c8 with him were aaae8163ca unpleasant.7bdb03d49a326bdd

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Every time I 85b6e2675f played with Logan, f876e6536a I ended up 0afab42a83 injured.bb179d08f66742e5

He kicked a5543b89e7 a ball d314a8bcc2 at my 59e40abc0f face once, b565949f4f I fell db0c3763e8 out of 06333cc409 a tree b74bd684dd trying to d63c38240e imitate him, f5077b3bbc and I 7cf534d512 even tumbled a034473d21 down some f1295075ff stairs once, 09b851da22 trying to dd17de843d escape his 2d4c58942d dog (which c89827da45 is now 97adc0281c dead).421f8fdb4bc702c3

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After incidents like that, f51a753fc5 my parents eventually told bc5ae45683 me to stop playing c53b50ab90 with him, which was 1f1ffaf258 a huge relief for 7df1be114a me.a0058305f628d656

That was 0a340ce55a back when 10df1a561e we were 01e4dec8f7 kids. As we 1066e914be grew older a124f3c3cb and stopped 6fa972d9c5 hanging out, 48a9491ba6 things became c7dbad598b awkward between ff808b3239 us.18f506e39eeb1ad9

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We became the 6592a31e83 kind of people ac804b3723 who would exchange 198330837d awkward greetings if 94b9b3b92c we bumped into b2328eb477 each other outside. I even 8775d2f715 peeked out 35b38b701b the window 39e8fb7568 before leaving 89cfd31b53 the house 832e4a7ef5 just to 4b8b1a53b4 avoid running 990b360119 into him.f12d0fdceca43780

As we dc1f6975c8 got into db4fed32ce high school, 54c810272f things became 00d1e7312a more uncomfortable c6c558686e and, frankly, 9a6f315969 more irritating 95ef6e5b13 and humiliating 5156ea6b07 for me.b6262a68d455f1d1

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Logan was quite popular. I was smarter, and I got better grades, but he was the one everyone liked. He was good at sports, outgoing, tall, good-looking, and even had a pretty blonde girlfriend…7870cf5bb3ed7a40

So, yeah, 90d48efbd4 you could 07cbb160f0 say that’s b2a4ff67db why.bb850ad37c3e85cb

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But now, there’s 49c671d682 no reason for 56d63e1ed2 me to feel 42f42c4491 embarrassed around him.8aab393492fc705c

Logan was going to ee2695a075 spend his life in b339de7a8c this dirty garage, covered c97166ee74 in oil and working c78dc4707d on broken cars.5445b910501da86c

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Meanwhile, I would graduate 6d5033e7e7 from a prestigious university, 9d37462c06 become a lawyer, live 7ddf8a722f in a nice house, 07a657ed3f and drive a fancy 57388842a2 car. My future was sure 27d2a28937 to be much brighter. Still, when 91a7b45193 I came 0f947cdcbc back to 3d84562cde visit, I 95e5452e88 could afford 06939e5a3d to acknowledge a34d2df636 him with b64b83054b a polite 21acc6ac6e nod.9e5709642b2af984

As I stared at 4d42d137eb his smooth, muscular arms, 4481e579be I swallowed.5e7628ec4589eed5

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“Kylie?”ae34d193b306edfe

“Oh? Oh, hey!”67e50ad6e603379c

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Logan noticed me. Damn, I should’ve just 98067b92ff walked by quickly.f26ab5e03cc116c0

I waved awkwardly, trying b4b375d795 to smile. Logan wiped his oil-stained f58c473bab hands with a towel cfdef7acd7 and walked briskly toward 304ee0f2ba me.9ea7d47eb5e7280e

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There was something 3311475bef intimidating about his b1df4aec96 approach, and I e3400fc819 instinctively took a e00902736a step back.e12a6fcee31b1a57

It wasn’t 81f43ccc19 my imagination; e766f35f9a he was d59b0114fb just really 071a15e48b tall.7432217cc10f6ba7

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That’s why I preferred 4d6dd689e7 guys who were closer 45b8ce18c8 to my height. It kept 39082adaf2 me from 7cd49d5dfe feeling that a3039fd844 strange, suffocating 31a426ae09 sensation that 4dc2fd74cc made my aa7c61971e heart race 03a5c9c0ab and my 41099d68a6 body tense dce5d8842c up.cc5a64f4e7c15dc8

“I heard 2c5cb52ce9 you got d1ca4ec862 into college. Congrats.”25ab97f111f21395

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“…Thanks. So, you’re working at the garage now?”cd56e3ed60a4086f

It was 5227d1378f hard to a81be2ec0d look him 18d3788c25 straight in 089dc99354 the eye. Maybe it was 3f5d5acbbd because I’d been 8235ec8bff internally mocking him, ee041dccde and my conscience 35a79ae9ef was pricking me.af2d21882a1bed00

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“Yeah, turns out this 610b4b2102 kind of work suits 9b21321433 me pretty well.”76015525b31dbab6

“Good for you,” I c9b021bd33 replied.0bc3dcb0ec1a119f

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Logan shrugged and smiled.112c344ac0c839c0

Working as a mechanic, a2301629f1 sweating under the heat c9b23a6caa with only a fan, e194df61eb even in the middle 142a1679de of summer, and surrounded 8dd592fe3c by the stench of 8d89315085 oil—how could that be 4529d09ae1 fun? It didn’t 5b62f8c952 make sense.47fe84656538a4f0

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With my 49acdae908 thoughts twisted cdc6aa8f24 like tangled 44ec133485 springs, I 6ad07998bf avoided his bede1d39b3 gaze.5b0923a1cb0ff657

“Well, take care. I’ve got 95b74b1499 to get 22067fce06 going.”d1797fd6334a72f2

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I said, turning to 75c0cac5cd leave.1bef76c053ace910

“Kylie, wait.”d381e911d92bfbfc

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He called 4859e23956 out just 973dd76050 as I ffb2ec5503 was about 570173cebf to leave. I glanced back to 1810e7221e see Logan rubbing the 2d5e575f8d back of his neck, 299d86e074 his lips parting slightly 64d8f7075c as if hesitating.5b60ff291d515568

“Are you 6e6bb66730 going to 98498a03c5 prom?”a98a453560384bfa

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“Yeah, I 97df34c0b7 think so.”cc2d8e505ccb244b

“With who?”02eb1ad322b3a31c

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“Probably… Asher?”d949095e9a87fd7e

Asher was a8748a8dcb about the 6a37523db5 same height 1739c643f2 as me, 18d759e8d3 had good f4f92ffedc grades, wasn’t f67f2ece9a bad-looking, and d908f77bc3 had a 235780c0e0 kind personality.4be28f216a73ec94

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Sure, he 0ed0176de3 had the 2b8b10d1a1 annoying habit bcc574851f of spitting 7540f6acf3 a little bcbecd1da3 when he 27b2535180 talked, and e22aeaf9b4 he didn’t be8ee8a27b exactly keep db61b0a429 his nose 56e1807223 hair in c522f17133 check, but ef3259489e overall, he c308b9a48b had more 7e9a454c4b positives than f5c950d6f5 negatives. Most importantly, Asher was 802f6bf73e going to the same 03fb2e251c university as me.6b1617784db56e40

I also had b99ccf9a8c a feeling he b6463b434f might confess to 9d2809d6a1 me after the adf13472c4 party.937911313b1da7b8

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Logan raised his eyebrows 72ce794030 slightly, nodding in response 47cb1401cb to my words.55b855af6058f31b

“Ah, I see. Well, see you at e1d144e33d the party then.”3097ec3dc2fef271

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“Yeah, see you 99d0a15d54 on Saturday.”e91d756199d12a51

I waved at 2f4a70832a him lightly and 0d7c95b5b2 turned away. As I walked further c8e51dd371 from the garage, the 1426f28949 smell of oil gradually 5c8efdf80f faded.8c15a3191395ac44

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The greasy 54a76d6adf clothes, the 65b08fa925 stained floors, 2eb9bd3c94 the calloused 486b34153a hands, and 92fa583383 even the 9ea6501adc sweat beading 00e6c932d5 on Logan’s 5c78e6bc43 chin all ee632e691d faded into 49fd453ccd the distance.da59d10c8be35e0e

The wind brushed 0a06dfb3b7 against me, making 0d3a5d5499 me feel strangely a3913f4ada unsettled. Was it a 31e43aef67 sense of regret, 9ed4a53cd0 or was it aa4974eeff relief? I resisted 4e5e0f7122 the urge 15a2b0af48 to look ff948dd7e8 back and b063359896 continued on bb6670b0f3 my way d24d857695 home.5aec2342b3a8a268

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* * *26981a8623997064

“I’m home.”d7e62fe0c03256e0

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There was 26a8831638 no sign 3e47e1e707 of anyone e1817c1fe1 in the ffacd044d9 house.c3c9ae05a56992a9

It was nearing dinnertime. Where could they a751dd8b0c have gone? I glanced 7c15226731 around the 46d5074b3b living room 87f472adf7 and kitchen.398460672a0a04f5

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“Mom?”7cff49dd31e0e3ad

The worn-out leather 97e7d89962 sofa with a 2c3032553c sagging middle, the a73adfc069 faded carpet, the 8217bbb445 scratched cabinets, the d54e852490 sink overflowing with a46b5260c4 dishes, and the 744e258c6a crooked blinds. Only this 29cb5a5178 messy, neglected 2e2ff07aee house greeted 7364fd486a me.63622c6713e1522d

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Was she still 47f615b236 gossiping with the 3e0280fd42 neighbors? Honestly, they neglect 2c2ad117c0 their only child a70d54eb4c too much.c01c17b61c340b15

Would it 4bd8af16d7 kill them b34c32d780 to be 0b059bb5f8 a little 8e92a5730e more attentive 4b8b2b7641 before I ac6ebeda52 leave? It’s no wonder bb125ab92b I don’t feel 073ffa4582 any regret about f27695e3e7 leaving this place 0fd412a1a0 behind.9955a788499354fe

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I pouted and opened 2359e34dfb the fridge. There was a sandwich 64d5616b05 with dried-out edges. Grabbing the sandwich 45637c5634 and some juice, dfb6738b5c I headed to a8cd29d957 my room.665b056af8a0d2a4

I collapsed ef1815ee76 onto the a5a8dd950c creaky bed 49f5823394 and scarfed b110e31d7f down the 56535cd580 stale sandwich. Crumbs fell onto the 68dd1c169b bed, but I just b7c7c191c2 brushed them off with 90c570ab27 my hand.5342cda1cdb27b75

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With my stomach full, 147a86fa9f my eyelids began to 0cab5335a2 feel heavy. I watched the 8bb4d572dd curtains gently flutter 005a58a5c8 in the breeze, a3f63c76b4 my eyes growing 7430fa78b7 hazy.0bd47e4747f5dc33

Today was so slow. I don’t think 6b6f1bd058 we’ve ever had fce13239f2 so few customers.5c28decf0a8dec65

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A news anchor’s 42a8e30f1a face flashed in 51cdaa0bc1 my mind, reporting fe4fa61d4c breaking news with 14ce0fede2 urgent words and 675b253aea red headlines scrolling 0e20bb1e57 quickly across the c35a358bd5 screen.e29566d859f0c07d

Come to think 214227eacf of it, there c3d2b6bd05 was a shooting c64af41955 today, right? It happened aee1e5be4a near a 2a220dcd65 church not 3b8753fdfd far from 15e9e96954 where I 88e0ebf1a5 work, which a618fe7436 might explain c299a0f88b the lack 1e54ad77d3 of customers.35fc92ad93ebd40d

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And then there 8a690feb9a was the car 40dbb56914 accident on my eb0c49a92e way home. Today must be one 9d1f57789e of those unlucky days b83410d478 full of accidents.eb2f21d53a586184

Bang!b9d5bd925002ead5

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A gunshot echoed d799dbb60c from a distance.8e0dc788da6f1216

Another gunshot? I’m so tired of 4147265afe it.1becc0dbf1ad59ad

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I could’ve checked 328026577a out the window 95506192a8 in shock, but 5fa52c3b48 I was too b8aaff3b36 sleepy. I was just so 54150dce6e sick of this city bb80b00584 and everything in it.a9205fd509e6fcf9

I pressed the c252c8150a pillow over my 930887a95b ears and shut fe85d04eea my eyes tightly. My entire bf9a13977a body felt 7d87b9668b like a a6da1dbfa0 wet, heavy 1ae56349e2 rag, completely bbadab9168 drained.3a256688d0f076da

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I vaguely heard sirens de15bcfb45 wailing outside the window. But I stubbornly ignored d295940eab the noise and drifted 62a5f883aa into a deep sleep.efc86929def468ec

I can’t 8746899210 wait to c090bc292a get into 94d01cc55b college. I need to escape a4c9714c74 this horrible city and 3a9a5b68f7 this filthy house as 64936371ee soon as possible. With that thought 555d846be8 in my mind, 24304f2c02 I fell into 4a228d558c a deep sleep.4435a836139c6e7b

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