12
Evelyn
Idrift in and out of fitful sleep, my mind churning as it throws me into nightmare after nightmare until I finally wake, drenched in sweat.
The room is pitch black as I tentatively reach out, but the bed is empty.
“Go back to sleep, Evi,” Luci says from somewhere behind me, his voice strained. I can’t quite tell given how dark it is, but I suppose he’s still sitting in the armchair.
“I wish I could. How did you know I was awake?”
Luci doesn’t say anything for a long moment.
“Your breathing.”
“My breathing?”
“You’ve been in and out of sleep all night, haven’t you?”
“How do you know?”
“Because,” Luci says, his voice drawing closer in the dark, “you make soft little gasps each time you wake, as though you’re coming up for air.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I can’t.” The bed dips as Luci sits down on it next to me, though I still can’t see him in the inky darkness that surrounds us. “I need to ask you to do something for me, Evi.”
My heart skips a beat in my chest at the strange tone of his voice.
“What is it?”
I flinch as Luci’s hand suddenly closes over one of my own. It’s cold and clammy, and I can feel him trembling.
“Warmth.”
Sitting up, I reach out in the darkness, running my hand up his arm in search of his face. He shifts slightly, and my hand finds his cheek. His skin is icy cold, but he’s sweating so much that my hand comes away wet.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I-I made a mistake.”
A mistake? What kind of mistake would cause this?
“What do I need to do?” Before he can answer, his entire weight is suddenly pinning the bottom half of my body to the bed as he falls backward over me. I can feel his body tense, his hand clenching around my own for a few seconds before he begins to seize. “Luci? Luci! What do I do?”
He doesn’t answer as the whole bed shakes beneath us. I can’t move or see what’s going on, and I have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do.
What could cause him to react like this?
What if he dies?
Will the others blame me if he does?
How long will I be trapped here beneath him before the others realize what’s happened?
I know these aren’t the things I should be worried about right now, but I can’t help it.
I grimace in pain as Luci’s hand tightens around my own. If he squeezes any tighter, I’m sure the bones will break.