Anguish Unfolds by A E Faulkner

Author:A E Faulkner [Faulkner, A E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781949193633
Publisher: Indie Owl Press
Published: 2019-09-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Shuddering, I rush to the bathroom. My trembling hands claw at the door. I rush inside, turn the lock and lean up against the flimsy barrier protecting me. After a moment, I swipe the closest towel. White, of course. Sorry, Steve and Jamie.

Leaning over the tiny sink, I turn the water on full blast. It does little to drown out the escalating voices a dozen feet away. I nearly jump out of my skin with every thud and thump.

Running the cloth under cold water, I dampen it and gently dab the gash, trying to clean it without inciting more blood. In a valiant distraction attempt, I inventory all the times I’ve done this sort of thing for Quinn. I’m not used to turning a healing hand on myself.

I was always the cautious one and Quinn made up for that tenfold. Whether she was getting her foot stuck in a bike or shoving a Barbie doll shoe up her nose, I was usually playing with her at the time, and thus the first one to act as a medic. A lopsided grin spreads across my face as my mind flashes through some of her most creative injuries.

After gently washing away the dried blood and wringing out the hand towel that’s now spotted with pink stains, I prepare to investigate the sudden silence on the other side of the door. I don’t even realize I’m wringing my hands until I have to separate them to unlock the door and turn the knob.

Quietly, I open the door a crack and peer into the living room. Dylan, Hunter, and Alex are gone. The only remnants of their presence are the deep red blotches marring the carpet. Steve and Jamie aren’t going to appreciate that.

Dan and Jim speak in hushed tones as they attempt to cover the stains with blankets. They stop in their tracks when I emerge from the bathroom.

“Riley, you okay?” Dan asks, turning toward me.

Jim drops the blanket he’s holding and takes slow, careful steps toward me as if I’m a cornered animal about to bolt.

My eyes volley back and forth between the guys as I try to steady my breathing. “A…are they gone? Are those guys gone now?” I look to the door and release a breath of relief when I see the lock latched.

“Riley, it’s okay. It’s all over now.” A fresh trickle of blood rolls down my cheek. Without a word, I rush back to the bathroom. With a shaking hand, I press the towel against my check to stanch the blood. I pick through the tiny medicine cabinet but nothing useful sits on the narrow shelves. If I needed shaving cream, toothpaste, or eye drops, this would be a jackpot. Do Steve and Jamie not believe in first aid supplies?

“Hey!” Jim’s voice outside the paper-thin door startles me. “You doing okay in there?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just cleaning up my face...again,” I say dejectedly.

“Well as soon as you’re done, we’re gonna hightail it outta here. Now that this thing’s running, we might as well get back on the road,” he says through the door.

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