Page 68 of Sparrow

I stare up into the face of the man who wants to take my life from me. His eyes are dark and blank, and there’s nothing but fury on his face. I can’t breathe. He’s squeezing tighter and tighter. I reach my hand out to the sides and feel for anything I could use to hit him. Anything that would hurt him. I pray for the gun, but instead, my fingers touch the hot end of the wire “J”.

I don’t even think. I only act.

I snatch it off the ground and press it onto his cheek. The smell of burning hair and flesh fills my nose and the sizzle rings in my ears.

He roars in pain and releases his grip on my throat. I gasp for breath, dizzy from the lack of oxygen, and roll to my stomach, crawling for the door.

I grip the wall for support and push to my feet. I need to run. I need to go. This is my chance.

Go. Go. Go.

It’s all I can think with each step I take. Get away. Run away. You’re almost free.

But a gunshot echoes off the walls as I reach the stairs. It’s so loud it rings in my ears and startles me. I lose my footing.

I try to break my fall, but it’s no use.

My body crashes against the stairs with a painful thump, and then slides down them to the foyer at the bottom, sending my head crashing into the wall.

The world goes black and only comes back to me in pieces.

Yelling. Screaming. Pain. Blue lights. Red lights. Talking. People.

Grayson.

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