The mattress was sticky and not very comfortable. Not having a pillow was also making it hard to sleep. As I'd expected, the laughing kept popping up in the scattered dreams, waking me up. I just kept my eyes closed and tried to pretend I wasn't there. That I wasn't naked on an air mattress with a collar that pulled at my neck every time I moved.

Finally, I dozed off and actually slept. I had curled up into a ball. I stopped moving and fighting the collar. I just laid there and took deep breaths. I even felt warm.