Lightning struck a tree near the house. Thunder cracked, rattling the windows, rattling the windowpanes until they threatened to shatter. As if the sky meant to wash everything away.
A blinding flash of lightning through the curtainless bedroom window. It illuminated the haunting silhouettes of tree branches violently thrashing in the gale.
I jolted awake from a restless half-slumber on the floor at the foot of the bed. The pain flared the moment I moved immediately.
I ground my teeth, fighting through the agony to sit up and lean against the bed frame. One hand clamped down on the wound, desperately trying to staunch the blood that seeped through the gauze.
But then... The silence in the room was shattered by a sound far louder than the thunder.
"Hic... No... No... Please..."
A faint, trembling sob echoed from the bed. Followed by rapid, erratic gasps for air. Faster and harder, like someone drowning.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
I snapped my head up toward the bed in panic.
