[ WP ] Afterwards , I lived .

Holding my side in agony, I limped for the door, chancing only a single glance back. Angry eyes stare after me, a hand searching for the gun on the floor. I can see the other eyes in the dark, coming directly for he and I. 
 
 Or rather, just him. After all, he ’ s the one they want. Anyone else is just gravy, even if they had nothing to do with what happened to them. Gasping for breath, I slam the metal door behind me, searching for the keys and locking it. I drop the keys to the floor with a loud noise, leaning against the door. Tears stream down my face. 
 
 Stumbling forward, I set off a few of the alarms for the building as I pull a lab coat from the back of a chair and wrap my torso up with it. My body burns with exhaustion and pain. I dragged myself out the door, sliding down the unwatched hill beside the compound. The sirens are drawing close quickly. The river isn ’ t far. 
 
 The water is cold, sending a shiver through my body. It ’ s an unwelcome shock. Wading out further into the water, my teeth chatter, but I let the flow of the water lift me off my feet. It ’ s difficult to float on my back down the river. The sirens get loud, then slowly fade away as I drift. 
 
 My fingers dig deep into the muddy bank as I drag myself up out of the water, staring up at the dark night. The city lights almost kill all the stars, but a few peek through. I slowly bring my breathing back under control before regaining my feet again, stumbling off into the night. 
 
 Afterwards, I lived. 
 
 *** 
 ^ ( *Feel free to check out more of my writing on my subreddit, /r/Syraphia* )
