Bleeding Light by Rob Benvie

Author:Rob Benvie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Invisible Publishing
Published: 2021-04-09T22:56:06+00:00

When they reached the other side, she hopped out to ground the boat. Crouching in the shallows, she hoisted the young man by his underarms and eased him onto the shore. There she sat beside him and caught her breath, feeling her biceps pulse. Wearing only striped boxer shorts, the young man was white, blond, baby-faced. His breath was faint but there. Only then did she see: his flesh was hacked with deep, vicious cuts, his chest and back a tatter of blood and mangled flesh.

He coughed, gagging, then in a burst of motion sprang to his feet, staking himself unsteadily there, spitting. Her impulse was to back away. But she reached to him, offering assistance.

Nuh, he grunted.

He looked around, evaluating the scene: the shore, the reservoir, his rescuer—striving for focus, like a sleepwalker tracing his path upon waking.

Corporal punishment, he said, then dashed into the trees.

She saw no reason to give chase. She’d done her part, fishing him out. But he was ailing, in need of help, possibly afraid. So she followed after him. Back in the confusion of trunks and branches, she was again disoriented. She discerned an indistinct glow ahead, and took this as her indicator of direction. There was no sign or sound of the boy. She called out: Hello. This voice, her voice, rang feeble.

There was a peculiar comfort in the woods. The crisp night air conjured memories of atmospheres she’d known in childhood, in Nauhcampatépetl’s shadow. The quiet was a relief; her every footfall resonated cleanly.

Eventually she arrived at a narrow, unpaved road, where she found the glow’s source: a street light posted on the shoulder. No traffic, no sign of the young man or anyone else. The direction of the plane’s path, as far as she could tell, aligned roughly with the road’s curve to her right. With no other option apparent, she headed that way.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.