Brice's POV
Turning a sharp corner, the sun had almost fully set by the time I'd become a little tired. There was still no sign of the brunette boy, and I sighed.
Maybe he's already home, with his family, I thought, with a heavy heart. Almost walking back to Main Street, my footsteps faltered as I heard the strangest thing. It sounded as if someone was, well, screaming. Not screaming as if they were helpless, but as if out of sheer rage. A jeering of voices joined in the odd vocal harmony, and I froze.
Surely the boy had made it safely home? Right..?
No, no, NO! Bad idea, Brice. Bad idea....
Why?
...
Fine. Be that way. I'm going, whether you like it or not.
I broke off into a run, the voices fading quickly. As the sun disappeared, the streets became crowded in shadows. I found myself tripping over every crack in the pavement. The book, the one that belonged to that boy, was still clutched tightly in my hands. The cover, black leather, was inscribed with light silver lettering, in a language that I couldn't transcribe. Other than that, it looked just like any other leather-bound book that would be in my father’s shop.
Worn and dusty, that is.
I turned another corner, and found myself in a fairly open space, with allies leading to dead-ends in almost every direction. The voices were gone now, leaving in their place an eerie silence, with the pale moon slowly rising. I looked around, baffled. Surely I wasn't being paranoid?
Paranoia seems to be todays' theme, Brice. Your dad is probably wondering where you are by now.
Go away, Brain.
Scanning the shadows, I finally spotted something out-of-the-ordinary. It reflected the moonlight, and I realized that it was a knife. Not a large knife, but a pocket one. One made for easy concealment..
I took a tentative step forward, while that oh-so-annoying voice in my head was still going on about the possible dangers. Honestly, I didn't give a shit what my subconscious thought. If something WAS wrong, why not see what that something is, right?
I almost wished that I didn't look....
Leaning against one of the farthest walls, the one most cloaked in the dark, was the brunette boy. One of his eyes was swelled shut, and his face had a few paths of purple and black. A small amount of crimson trickled from his nose and out the corner of his mouth. He didn't seem to be breathing...
"Holy. Shit" I whispered out loud, in sheer shock. Without realizing it, I ran forward, desperately searching for a pulse, or something to tell me that he was alive. Finally, I found his-faint-pulse.
Ok brain, what do I do now?!
...
NOW YOU CHOSE TO IGNORE ME? REALLY. HIS LIFE COULD BE AT FRIGGIN STAKE HERE.
Hospital.
Gee. Thanks, captain obvious!
I frowned. Now how what I going to get this boy to the hospital, which was a few blocks away? There was only one answer to that question, as hard as it may seem.
Brice. No. No.....
What? You expect me to leave him to die?
...
Wow...
I sighed, picking up the brunette bridal-style. He was extremely light, as if he rarely ate. His face was a ghastly pale, probably from blood loss or something. Even though he was passed out, and I was only doing this to keep him from bleeding out in some random ally in Everlost, I had to resist the urge to brush the mop of brown hair that hung in his face, as I blushed lightly-bringing a snicker from myself conscious.
Alright. Where's the nearest hospital?
