Whimpers of the Light

02 - Blood and Rain

The pain was sharp and surged through with each hurried step. Warm and wet blood soaked into torn clothes, fingers slick with the thick flood. The urgency pressed harder with each passing second, but there was no guarantee of making it.

Rushing through the streets, the rain lashed her face, making the world blur. Endless pouring rain fell like thick, blinding sheets, each drop subtly catching a flicker of the moonlight before it crashed on the broken pavement. Cold and indifferent, the moon watched from above, offering no guidance in these dark and shapeless alleys —unrecognisable under the weight of rain. Yet somehow, she knew the way.

Her clothes clung to her skin. She was utterly drenched, and the cold crept deeper into her bones. Just a few more meters. The building was close now; she knew it. Its worn and battered storefront was ravaged by looters from the Beginning and barely put together afterwards, with wood and nails. A cryptic cross, its bulbs long dead, hung menacingly overhead.

They were probably out there, looking for her already. The downpour muffled her footsteps, but someone was bound to hear her sooner or later. She needed to get to safety and warmth quickly. But first, she had to take care of the wound. A fleeting moment of relief came as she let her shoulder against the door, her body trembling as she caught her breath. Shards of broken glass were still holding around the wooden frame like the teeth of a monster; the pain flared again as she pushed it open.

It was dead silent inside. She caught herself praying that no one would interrupt her. Let me have just a moment. She rummaged through the darkness, fingers fumbling across dusty shelves, desperately looking for anything that might help. Gauze. Painkillers. Antibiotics, if the world had any mercy left to offer. She found a dusty package hidden beneath a pile of discarded boxes. Gauze. The plastic wrapping still sealed.

She tugged her shirt up; the fabric caught in the wound made her wince. The opening was on her abdomen under her ribs, where her right kidney was supposed to be. If it were injured, at least she would have another one. Blood oozed fresh and thick, spilling over her jeans. The tear stretched wide across almost half her belly. And the gap was wide. Too wide. Fear was rising faster than she could push it down.

Hot and silent tears blurred her vision as they mixed with the rainwater dripping from her face on wet crimson jeans. She pressed her hands to the wound, shaking, her mind spinning. She was terribly frightened and now confident she was going to die. The world outside had never been kind, but she had fought for everything. Only the cold remained. She just wanted to lay down. To let the pain and exhaustion take her.

She had had to fight for as long as she could remember. Growing up in a world where people only took — where men saw women as "resources" and claimed the restoration of mankind justified their cruelty. She had never had much interest in restoring humanity. The only humanity she'd ever known was miserable and vile. From what she could recall, or what little she had learned, it hadn't been any better Before.

She had often dreamed of escaping this place. Escape the grasp of those who clung to the past's twisted ideals. She cared for a few people — she might have taken them with her had the situation been different.

Deep inside, something fierce and burning refused to let her give up. Resentment. A sudden burst of adrenaline and anger coursed through her, hot and blinding. She gritted her teeth and pressed the gauze hard against the wound. She wrapped the bandage tightly around her waist and pulled the knot firm despite her trembling fingers. It had to hold.

#

The growls of motors reverberated through the night as beams of light cut the rain-soaked air. They were scanning the darkness like predators. Rain would grant some cover, but she had to move fast. They had sent three, maybe four, Humvees. This part of the city wasn't big. It was only a matter of time before their searchlights locked onto her.