Match Your Weakness With A Name

Twenty-Three?

I sit back on my heels, breathing deeply, my ears picking up the approaching sirens. The sound cuts through the air as it nears, pulsating with every wail. Derek is unfazed and keeps pressing on Awsten's chest.

The sirens stop and I look up. There's an ambulance parked outside with a swarm of people getting off it. Two of them are pushing a stretcher, the rest carrying various torture devices, all stony-faced and dead-eyed. They give me chills and I reach for Awsten's wrist again.

"Out of the way," snaps one of the paramedics, and Derek and I jump back. They get right to work on Awsten-taking off his shirt, slamming hands down on his ribcage, breathing on his face as one does. He's more fragile than I've ever seen him before, with his sickly pale skin and jutting bones and immobile body. It hurts just looking at the way his chest gives under the pressure of the paramedics. There's no way his ribs are intact.

"What's his name?" asks one of them between compressions, as another turns to Ryan.

"Awsten Knight," I sputter. "A-W-S-T-E-N."

"Thanks." The medic goes back to their work. Ryan is still in conversation with the other one, but I can't make out what they're saying.

Holding my breath, I glance at Jenna. She's shaking like hell-understandably so, she's dripping wet and probably as shocked as me. Her eyes meet mine, and we exchange a look. A look that says "Fuck."

A clatter sounds behind me, and I jump, but it's only the two medics with the stretcher. They're bringing it closer so they can get Awsten on it. I bite my lip as they grab Awsten's skinny legs and haul him up, repositioning him so he's on his side, covering him with a pathetic excuse for a blanket.

Quickly, they start pushing him away, back to the ambulance they came from.

I feel sick to my stomach as they leave the parking lot, my vision blurring and my hands trembling wildly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone stand up, and feel a wet fingertip on my shoulder. "Geoff."

"Jenna."

"He's going to be alright," she says.

My voice is hardly a whisper. "No."

"Come on, get up," she says, holding out her hand. I take it and pull myself to my feet.

"Jenna?"

"What?"

"Do you want my jacket?"

She glances at her feet. "Sure."

I hand her my jacket and she wraps it around herself. It's massive on her. It reminds me of how Awsten looked in my clothes.

"Thanks," she says, messing with the zipper.

"I-" My voice breaks. "I'm going to see him."

"Geoff, are you alright?" asks Derek.

I turn around and take a few steps toward the parking lot.

"Wait!"

Sighing, I look back.

"Didn't you walk here?"

"Oh. I did," I say.

"I'll drive," offers Ryan.

Derek stares at him. "You sure?"

"Well, yeah," says Ryan. "I don't know that guy, but he seems to be important to that other guy."

"Geoff," says Derek.