me?”
“ Yes.”
“ Why
the Hell didn’t you?”
“ You
didn’t ask.”
I glared at her,
wanting to be angry, but the thought of having found Marty—and
therefore, probably Todd—made it difficult to be mad. That and
her blue eyes.
“ Did
you see--?”
She pointed over my
shoulder.
“ That
way.”
I forced my way
through the robotic crowd, keeping an eye on Marty’s head
bobbing amongst them. The black coats he and Todd wore made them
easy to pick out of the gray crowd. They weaved their way through
the horde keeping a consistent distance ahead. If we sped up, they
sped up; if we slowed, they did, too.
I broke into a run
and they did the same, right on cue.
Damn it.
I tried to dodge a
blank-faced little old lady but failed, mowing her down. A pang of
guilt made me look back over my shoulder to see if she was all
right, but she’d already regained her feet and carried on as
if nothing happened. I turned back in time to see Marty and Todd
disappear down some stairs, but didn’t give myself enough time
to either stop or adjust my gait to the concept of descending
stairs.
I went down them,
anyway.
My hip hit the
stairs first, flipping me over and smacking my shoulder next. I
attempted to stop myself and, when I couldn’t, went for the
old tuck-and-roll—also with little success. My right arm got
caught between my body and the edge of a stair and pain exploded as
I heard a snap.
My spill down the
stairs ended flat on my back, head propped on the bottom step,
staring at the ceiling. I groaned loudly at the pain in my arm and
squeezed my eyes shut. Seconds later, I felt a presence at my side.
“ Are
you okay?”
I opened my eyes
and looked up at Piper bent over me, mild concern showing on her
face. I bit back the urge to curse.
“ I
think I broke my arm.”
I struggled to a
sitting position and looked at what I expected to be a subway
station but turned out to be a locker room.
“ Couldn’t
you have done something? What kind of guardian angel are you?”
“ Not
yours. Your guardian angel wouldn’t come to Hell with you,
remember?”
“ Right.”
She grabbed me by
the collar and pulled me up as I held my arm gingerly against my
chest.
“ Let’s
have a look at that.”
Her fingers brushed
my flesh and the buzz of static electricity followed it, standing
the hairs on my arm on end. After a second, she grabbed my forearm
on either side of the break. I felt the ends of the bone grate
together and sucked a breath through my teeth as I bit back the urge
to scream in pain. I wanted to pull away, but the pain subsided,
replaced by warmth and a tingling like I’d slept on the arm
wrong and woken with pins and needles. The sensation was pleasant
and uncomfortable all at once. In my mind, I saw the ends of the
bone knitting themselves back together under her touch. I put up
with it as long as I could, pulling away after a minute. My arm
didn’t hurt as much.
“ We
don’t have time for this right now. Where did Marty and Todd
go? Did you see?”
I wobbled and she
put a hand under my armpit, steadying me.
“ No.”
Something caught
her attention and she stopped, listening, fingers buried in my pit
sending a tickle into my chest. I brushed her hand away.
“ What
is it?”
“ Someone’s
coming.”
I surveyed the room
quickly—it looked like the locker room of a high school:
wooden benches, double banks of short lockers painted different
colors, sinks, toilet stalls, and an open shower area. There was a
blue door with a metal pull handle in the farthest wall I suspected
might lead to a gym, and a second door with a locking knob in the
wall to our right, across from the showers.
“ In
there,” I said moving toward it with my arm cradled against my
chest, though it felt considerably better.
I twisted the knob
and found it unlocked, barely making it through as the other door
flew open and the sounds of sneakered feet slapping tile floor and
the hoots and hollers of a team of teenagers
“ Yes.”
“ Why
the Hell didn’t you?”
“ You
didn’t ask.”
I glared at her,
wanting to be angry, but the thought of having found Marty—and
therefore, probably Todd—made it difficult to be mad. That and
her blue eyes.
“ Did
you see--?”
She pointed over my
shoulder.
“ That
way.”
I forced my way
through the robotic crowd, keeping an eye on Marty’s head
bobbing amongst them. The black coats he and Todd wore made them
easy to pick out of the gray crowd. They weaved their way through
the horde keeping a consistent distance ahead. If we sped up, they
sped up; if we slowed, they did, too.
I broke into a run
and they did the same, right on cue.
Damn it.
I tried to dodge a
blank-faced little old lady but failed, mowing her down. A pang of
guilt made me look back over my shoulder to see if she was all
right, but she’d already regained her feet and carried on as
if nothing happened. I turned back in time to see Marty and Todd
disappear down some stairs, but didn’t give myself enough time
to either stop or adjust my gait to the concept of descending
stairs.
I went down them,
anyway.
My hip hit the
stairs first, flipping me over and smacking my shoulder next. I
attempted to stop myself and, when I couldn’t, went for the
old tuck-and-roll—also with little success. My right arm got
caught between my body and the edge of a stair and pain exploded as
I heard a snap.
My spill down the
stairs ended flat on my back, head propped on the bottom step,
staring at the ceiling. I groaned loudly at the pain in my arm and
squeezed my eyes shut. Seconds later, I felt a presence at my side.
“ Are
you okay?”
I opened my eyes
and looked up at Piper bent over me, mild concern showing on her
face. I bit back the urge to curse.
“ I
think I broke my arm.”
I struggled to a
sitting position and looked at what I expected to be a subway
station but turned out to be a locker room.
“ Couldn’t
you have done something? What kind of guardian angel are you?”
“ Not
yours. Your guardian angel wouldn’t come to Hell with you,
remember?”
“ Right.”
She grabbed me by
the collar and pulled me up as I held my arm gingerly against my
chest.
“ Let’s
have a look at that.”
Her fingers brushed
my flesh and the buzz of static electricity followed it, standing
the hairs on my arm on end. After a second, she grabbed my forearm
on either side of the break. I felt the ends of the bone grate
together and sucked a breath through my teeth as I bit back the urge
to scream in pain. I wanted to pull away, but the pain subsided,
replaced by warmth and a tingling like I’d slept on the arm
wrong and woken with pins and needles. The sensation was pleasant
and uncomfortable all at once. In my mind, I saw the ends of the
bone knitting themselves back together under her touch. I put up
with it as long as I could, pulling away after a minute. My arm
didn’t hurt as much.
“ We
don’t have time for this right now. Where did Marty and Todd
go? Did you see?”
I wobbled and she
put a hand under my armpit, steadying me.
“ No.”
Something caught
her attention and she stopped, listening, fingers buried in my pit
sending a tickle into my chest. I brushed her hand away.
“ What
is it?”
“ Someone’s
coming.”
I surveyed the room
quickly—it looked like the locker room of a high school:
wooden benches, double banks of short lockers painted different
colors, sinks, toilet stalls, and an open shower area. There was a
blue door with a metal pull handle in the farthest wall I suspected
might lead to a gym, and a second door with a locking knob in the
wall to our right, across from the showers.
“ In
there,” I said moving toward it with my arm cradled against my
chest, though it felt considerably better.
I twisted the knob
and found it unlocked, barely making it through as the other door
flew open and the sounds of sneakered feet slapping tile floor and
the hoots and hollers of a team of teenagers
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