As I jumped down the metal rails, descending through the hot, stale air that pricked my skin, my mind wandered into territories that I never even knew it could wander. That I never knew it could explore.
Thud–!
The sole of my shoes collided with the ground, and the impact caused my toes to shiver. The shiver traveled quietly throughout my body, brutally affecting the rate of my already drumming heart, and fueling the pain I felt in my ribs.
I had no idea what that shiver was. I didn't know if it was a mental thing — the dread that tugged at my mind anytime it wandered, simulating the endless possibilities of what might have been of Craffold — or if it was really from the toe impact.
But I didn't care about that. Not at that moment.
My lips moved, ever so subtly, whispering prayers that felt like they all drowned inside the eternal void of hopelessness.
I whispered, "Please, be safe, Craffold…" Over and over again. Like it was a mantra.
