188(1)

HAYES

I close my eyes and brace myself for the impact, for the pain, for the end. I fall backward hard, my body hitting the rough concrete.

The pain doesn’t erupt as expected and I’m still breathing. I snap my eyes open, confusion flooding through me. But then I see Sloane falling on top of me.

Blood.

So much blood.

It pools beneath her, soaking into her dress, staining her skin, warm and sticky a