Page 32 of Little Sunshine
Don’t pass out.
If he did all this while I was awake…
A tremor rocked my body, and I couldn’t even finish my thought.
A loud siren suddenly cut through the air and echoed in the alley. It was an ambulance, not the police—I was all too familiar with the difference—but the men must not have known.
The leader’s furious gaze locked on me.
He wanted to kill me.
He wanted to do worse.
And he would’ve had the siren not grown louder. Closer.
He got into my face and said something, the tone of it harsh and poisonous, but I couldn’t hear a single thing. Even the siren mixed with whirling in my head, becoming warped until it just stabbed along with the pounding behind my eyes.
The men took off down the other side of the alley, jumping a fence and continuing.
I didn’t leave the alley. Not right away. Focusing on my breaths, I scooted to the side until I was hidden away. I took my time, working to stay conscious. Maybe it was only a few minutes. Maybe much longer. My brain seemed to be cutting in and out—like streaming a movie with a sketchy internet connection.
Once I felt steady enough, I used the wall to slowly stand.
I burned.
The brick rash on my face. My hot, swollen cheeks. Even my internal organs felt like they had lava traveling through them. Everything burned like it was on fire.
I wanted to collapse and press my body to the cold ground, but I knew better. It wasn’t safe. I needed to get the hell out of there.
Zipping my sweatshirt, I pulled the hood over my head. I kept my face down and moved as quickly as my aching body would allow.
When I reached the end of the alley, I picked up my phone from where it’d been tossed aside. The glass was shattered so badly, it felt jagged against my fingertip. I pressed the power button anyway, but the only thing displayed were the glitchy rainbow lines of a completely totaled screen. I pocketed it and made sure nobody was around before I continued to the street.
I should’ve gone to my bus stop.
I should’ve tried to find a taxi to splurge on.
Hell, even walking the long way home would’ve been a better idea.
I did none of that.
Nor did I go to the police, try to find the ambulance that’d passed, or any of the other million things that would have made sense.
I honestly wasn’t sure what I was thinking.
Keeping my slow pace, I walked and walked and walked until I reached the very same building I’d just sworn to avoid. I didn’t hesitate before climbing the steps and going inside.
I kept my head down as I cut the line and moved directly to the front desk. “Is the behemoth here?”
“Ma’am?” a man responded.
Why did I say that?
Oh fuck, that’s right.
I took a breath, hoping the oxygen would get my brain to function.
It didn’t.
