Page 434 of Eternal
I barely register the sound behind me until it’s too late, a crack, the floorboard to my right shifts.
I freeze, turn slowly.
There’s a boy, maybe thirteen standing in the doorway, too skinny. His shirt’s torn, lip split, face too pale, and he’s holding a gun. One of the guards’ probably, it’s shaking in his hands, too big for him, too dangerous.
His eyes flick from the photos on the table to me. Wide.Hollowed.
“Are you…” he chokes on it, voice breaking. “Are you one of them?”
My heart’s in my throat, I raise both hands, calm, steady, voice soft. “No. I’m not. I swear.”
He’s still standing there, frozen, the gun wobbling in both his hands, he looks so small under the hallway light, just a kid in someone else’s nightmare.
“I’m not one of them,” I say again, gentler now, stepping forward slowly. “I promise.”
His lips tremble, his eyes keep darting past me, toward the room behind us, like he’s expecting someone worse, a shadow, a monster.
“Hey.” I kneel a little, staying soft. “You don’t have to be scared of me. I swear I’m not here to hurt anyone.”
Silence; except for the fireworks cracking outside, distant and beautiful and cruel.
He doesn’t lower the gun, but his elbows start to sag like he’s too tired to keep holding it.
“Listen to me, you did good surviving this long, okay? But now you need to go, find a place to hide until it’s over.”
He blinks, fast and wet, the gun lowers an inch, then another.
“I’m gonna count to three, and you’re just gonna run. Alright? Just run.”
One.
He nods, barely.
Two.
I straighten a little, hand out, not reaching, just steadying.
Three.
He turns to bolt, and I step past him to urge him forward, and the gun goes off.
Pain.
My chest jerks back like it’s been hit with a hammer, my mouth opens, but no sound comes out.
There’s just this white-hot burn ripping through me, and a sticky wetness spreading under my ribs. I stumble.Hard. Knees slamming into the floor.
He’s staring at me, eyes wide, already crying.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, dropping the gun with a clatter. “I didn’t mean…I didn’t…I thought…”
“It’s okay,” I manage, breathless, choking on it. I blink… I’m shaking. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m fine sweetheart, just, just go. Hide.Now.”
He hesitates, one step forward like he wants to help, but I shake my head, push at the air.
“Go.”
He runs.
