A Perfectly Split Christmas: A Split Short Story by JB Salsbury

Author:JB Salsbury [Salsbury, JB]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: A Perfectly Split Christmas
Publisher: JB Salsbury
Published: 2016-12-14T18:30:00+00:00

Turn the page to read the Prologue and Chapter One of Split

Ten years ago . . .

It’s dark. Like when I hide under my bed and can’t see my hand in front of my face. But I’m not under my bed now.

Cold seeps into my body. My head rings; static blares in my ears.

I blacked out again, but this is different. Everything about this feels different.

There’s shuffling . . . some kind of panic in the air. My heart pounds and with the rapid blood flow brings a sharp stabbing pain that explodes in my neck. I try to open my eyes, push at the dark and reach for light, but a sticky coating covers my face. I suck in a breath, cough against the thick sludge that clogs my nose and throat. The metallic tang of blood turns my gut. I retch, hacking up something thick, and agony slices through my jaw.

“Oh fuck!” A deep masculine voice rips through my panic. “This one’s alive!”

I try again to open my eyes.

“We need an EMT!”

I need to get up, find somewhere to hide. Mom always gets angry after one of my blackouts and with the pain . . . oh God the pain . . . I can’t take one of her punishments.

My arms ache but I force them to my eyes to clear the dark haze that clouds my vision. Weight presses against my shoulder, keeping me down. No, I have to get out of here.

“Don’t move.” The voice, I try to place it. A neighbor? I don’t know who else—“ETA on the ambulance! This kid’s gonna bleed out!”

“What . . .” My voice makes no sound, only a low gurgle within my chest. I try to push up, reach out. Help me! Shadows dance behind my eyes.

“God have mercy—we’re gonna lose him!”

“Stay down!” A male voice is close. “Oh shit . . . don’t move!”

I slip in and out. Voices frantic but muted in my ears.

“Neighbors said he’s fifteen . . .”

“ . . . fucking bloodbath . . .”

“Help . . .” I cough and reach for the fire blazing in my jaw.

A firm grip wraps my neck. I struggle against it as it cuts off what little breath I’m able to take. “Hang on, son.” It loosens and I suck in a gulp of blessed air mixed with fluid that makes me cough.

“He’s gonna drown in his own blood if we don’t get him—”

“Son, can you hear us?”

I nod as best I can, reaching for the light. Don’t black out. Don’t give up.

“Did you do this, boy?” The thick growl of a different man sounds in the distance. His voice deeper. Angrier.

I’m in so much trouble. I want to tell him I don’t remember. I have a condition. Lapses in memory. But I can’t get the words to make it to my mouth.

“They’re all dead.”

My heart kicks behind my ribs.

Dead? Who’s dead?

Dizziness washes over me and I don’t fight it. Nausea rips through my gut. The thick tang of vomit mixed with blood floods my mouth.

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.