I couldn't breathe. It wasn't that I was being choked, or that I had a heavy weight on my chest. It was the air. It was heavy and stale. Similar to a port authority bus station. It seemed like the place didn't have a single window, there was no circulation.

I need to be able to breathe deep, full breaths in order to function. I had gotten used to breathing into the pit of my stomach through my nose, feeling the cool air circulate through my lungs...These deep breaths sustained me.