Isolation & Fear (Damned of the 2/19th Book Seven)

survive

da

rk
nes

s

c

ol

d

pain

pa

i

n

>brun system-diagnostic.bin

system-diagnostic error

>brun damage-control.bin

holistic neural systems damage

>run *.*,8,1

system reboot

I opened my eyes.

Nothing. Just darkness.

Someone was sobbing in the darkness.

Me.

It was me.

I lifted my head, tried to. The back of my neck burned. I tried to turn my head.

darkness

system failure

damage control reports damage in series c-1 through c-3

system reboot

I opened my eyes again.

I was making a high pitched whining that the wind in the stairwell took, swirled around me, mocked me with, and then snatched away.

I tried to grit my teeth.

darkness

system failure

damage control reports damage, left mandible

system reboot

I managed to get my eyes open again. My eye patch had come off, was around my neck.

I managed to stop the sounds. Managed to gain control of my breathing.

In through the nose. Press my tongue to the top of my mouth, ignore the pain across the left side of my jaw.

Out through the mouth, ignore the taste of blood.

In.

Out.

My right arm was useless. Not full of pain, not tingling.

According to my senses, it was just...

gone.

I rolled off my left side and my leg twi...

darkness

The cold was seeping into my skin. I was shivering. Shock and exposure setting in deeper.

I reached up with my left arm, grabbing blindly. and managed to grab the railing bars.

I kicked out with my right leg, pushing myself up the stairs.

My left knee hit the steps, something in my left thigh ground together...

darkness

Things came back with a snap.

The red emergency light had kicked on, painting the stairwell lurid crimson.

Blood was dripping from my face, falling onto the step.