He made sure to keep weapons on him at all times, and was constantly on guard. He refused to be caught unaware by Death.In a way, he figured, the doct...or's diagnosis had been fortunate for him. Now he knew that Death would come for him, within a few days at the most. Now he knew to be prepared.Eventually, James fell asleep in his leather armchair. His dreams were troubled, as always. Nervously he twitched through his nightmares, occasionally clutching at his chest and moaning.A loud scream. One day, a few months later, while I was showering I realized I had forgotten my towel. “Charles” I yelled but didn’t get a reply. I yelled for him a few more times when I finally heard him at the door.“Do you need something?” he asked. “Yes, I forgot a towel can you get me one?” I replied and heard a muffled agreement through the door.A few seconds later I heard him again, “Should I bring it in?” he asked. I thought that was odd as I turned off the water and opened the shower curtain. “Yes of. If anyone noticed that we were holding hands, they did not say anything. To be honest, I believe they were all just thankful and relieved to finally be nearing the hotel. ***** Megumi and I were given adjacent rooms. My room was small, with a single queen-size bed, a small table with two chairs, and a television with a built-in DVD player and VCR. A copy of the local newspaper awaited me on the table, but I did not care about the latest news. I cared only about Megumi, about what she was. "The Great O Race" Karen read aloud. "Challenge your endurance unlike any race you've ever come across. Start time: 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning at The L Park."Despite the lack of major details, Karen was still drawn to the image of a woman flexing on top of a podium. She had improved in her races, but still not enough to medal in anything. Perhaps something like this, without a lot of details, would keep the playing field low. Plus, she had been taking her training to a new level, and thought.