Hide and Seek

When I woke, the room was running red with blood.

I lay in a small pool of it. It had run down the side of my head from

just above my left ear. It was caked over my eyelids, in my lashes. My

vision was a dull red too. That seemed to mean I still had some blood

left inside me. That was nice.

The red was flecked with yellow. Starburst. Tiny explosions.

Something huge and awful was gnawing at my leg. I looked down at it.

It seemed to contain its own cruel, throbbing heartbeat. A match for

the one in my head. I had three heartbeats. Undisputably I was alive

then. I had no right to be.

The leg looked wet and horrible.

Thank god for Steven's flashlight, I thought.

I looked around. No black shapes beside me. None anywhere that I

could see.

I looked where I thought Steven's body should be. It wasn't there

anymore. For a moment I hoped I'd imagined the entire thing. But

no.

I looked for Casey. I was disoriented now. I knew she'd been up

against one of the columns. Somewhere over there. She ought to have

had her back to me. I couldn't see her.

I tried to stand up. It was still too painful and I was much too

dizzy. I groaned. It didn't seem to sound as though it came from me.

I settled for pushing myself up. Hands to the floor, head dangling. It

hurt less that way.