𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐏𝐒𝐄 | Lorelei Keller is having a hard time coping. First her parents divorced and her mother left, and now her father is forcing her to move to a little town in Indiana. She doesn't want to be bitter about it, but there is no way to...
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EXPLOSIONS SOUNDED OUT. They sounded miles away, like the sound of the television playing in another room when someone was trying to sleep and their ears couldn't help but pick up on everything around them.
Eyelashes fluttered against her warm skin, the sensation not feeling entirely real. Her fingers were sprawled by her side, flinching slightly at every rough sound that beat against her eardrums. It was getting louder now - the sound - thrumming against her head like a hammer hitting a stubborn nail repeatedly.
In the far-off background, shouting could also be heard, but it was barely processed over the loud banging. She still felt as though she wasn't fully awake yet - like her mind was, but her body couldn't keep up - almost as though she had just woken up from a dreamless sleep in the middle of the night.
The first rational thing Lorelei could feel was pain. It was all around her body, consuming her and causing a wince to escape from her parted lips. Mostly, she felt pain in her head, feeling as it throbbed to no end.
"Wake up!" she heard faintly. "Lorelei! Wake up!"
She struggled against what her body was asking, which was sleep - endless and peaceful sleep - and finally opened her eyes. In doing so, the first thing she was met with was the sight of the floor, white and shiny if not for the splash of wine-colored blood that was staining it.
Her blood.
Lorelei reached her hand up to her forehead, feeling as sticky and nearly dried blood stained her fingers the same color that now painted the floors. It all came rushing back to her then; running back into the mall, finding her friends, facing Billy, and then... nothing.
"Get up! We have to go!"
She shook her head lightly, wiping her fingers clean on her shorts, they were red anyway, she thought, so it wouldn't matter, and looked up.
Estelle was looking down at her with wide eyes, the concern being the main giveaway that the explosions Lorelei heard weren't just a figment of her imagination. Not a dream. More like a walking nightmare. Her friend did not look much better either, with her shoulder bleeding once more and her chin slightly bruised.
With a hand on Lorelei's arm, Estelle pulled her up from the floor and instantly tugged her down the corridor. She was still staggering behind a bit, but Lorelei slowly felt the adrenaline come back as her legs worked to keep up with the running.
