In the Span of a Breath

Chapter 2

Erin woke with a start, his heart hammering in his chest. He frantically looked around the hospital room confused and a bit disoriented. Suddenly he was struck with a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach and a burning pain rising in his back. A pained groan bubbled up from his throat and he scrambled out of the hospital bed. Suddenly a woman in white scrubs appeared at Erin's side.

                "It's alright, just relax now, you don't want to rip the stitches." She soothed quietly, resting her hand on his arm. But the sudden touch caused Erin to react violently and he shoved the woman away from him. She raised her hands in a defensive gesture and when she began to speak it was gentle and slow.

                "Ah, I'm sorry Erin. My name is Deseraie. You were in an- ah- accident and you are currently in Vision General Hospital. Everything will be alright." She continued to keep her distance as she tried to calm down the young man. Erin didn't seem to hear her as images from the night before suddenly assaulted his memory.  His breath caught in his throat and a name slipped past his lips. "P-paige." He suddenly turned to the nurse.

                "Where's Paige?"

"I-I'm sorry but I don't know-"

                "He was there with me. Th-there was blood e-everywhere." The Korean teenager's hand went up to pull at his hair. "Where is he?"

                "It's alright, you just calm down I'm sure we can fi-"

                "I'm not gonna calm down!" Erin shouted and took a step towards the nurse who was becoming increasingly more nervous. His arm caught where the IV was inserted and he frowned looking down at it.

                "Erin, the only way I can help you is if you relax." Deseraie tried again.

"Where-" He started to ask still looking at the IV but the question ended in a whimper.

                "Maybe it will help, if you told me who Paige is." The nurse said softly.

At this his attention was brought back to the woman across the room from him. She was slowly moving towards the door.

                "He's my- we were working on a class project after watching monster movies. Then, then it was there and h-he fought it." Erin began speaking quickly and in fragments. His tongue wet his lips as he became increasingly more freaked out. "H-he told me to run but I- then h-." His hand shot up to his mouth and his eyes were wide as the sentence died in throat.

                "Erin, hun, there was no one else who came in with you last night." She cautioned, she seemed a bit more comfortable without him blocking her exit. Erin shook his head.

                "No. No, he was there. It attacked him. Where is he? What happened to him?"  He demanded on the verge of a total melt down.  Deseraie poked her head out of the room.

"A little help, in here." She called to anyone that maybe passing by. Two others rushed to the room but she kept them from coming in. She turned back to the teenager and tried again.

"Erin, you were the only one to come in last night. There was no one with you. You were found alone."

"That's not right. Why are you lying?!" He shouted. The constant nagging pain in his back was becoming more and more prominent to where it was all he could think about. He staggered on his feet and a deep groan of anguish reverberated in his chest as the brilliant pain made his vision white. "Ah." He doubled over and his breathing picked up pace as he tried to deal with the incredible pain.