Shadow Thief

42- Kind of a Hero (End)

I stared at the white ceiling. Sun light the hospital room. It must've been the next day, because it was near sunset when I blacked out.

I was alone in the room. My side stung, so did my shoulder, my face, my stomach and just about everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. My heart was stone cold. I wasn't even sure if it was beating.

I remembered every event that happened last night. I could play it through my head like a movie on repeat. That scene you just can't let go, so you play it again. Then you pause and you go back again. Then again and again and again. Even when you get passed it it's still there, waiting in the back of your head for you to think about it. And you think of everything you could've done to fix it just to remind yourself how useless you are.

I wasn't crying anymore. After all these years, I think I've finally run out of tears. That just made me feel worse. I couldn't shed another tear for the lost. Not for Mila or Levi.

With great effort, I turned my head to look out the window. It was quiet outside, like nothing happened yesterday.

I let out a little laugh.

Like we hadn't over thrown an entire government.

I assume Clover took care of the specifics. There weren't any riots that I could hear.

I wondered if the others were okay.

I let out another little chuckle as I held up my hands.

Mercy, one.

Clover, two.

Bryce, three.

I wondered if I could count Chris.

I shrugged. Why not?

Chris, four.

And Theo. Theo, five.

I held up the single hand. I guess holding up two was too much to hope for. I counted them off again.

Mercy, one.

Clover, two.

Bryce, three.

Chris, four.

Theo, five.

My list of people I could count on got so small that I could count them on one hand. Assuming they were all still alive. I didn't want to think about that.

Mercy, one.

Clover, two.

Bryce, three.

Chris, four.

Theo, five.

My heart squeezed in my chest as I held up the other hand.

Mila, one.

Levi, two.

Mom, three.

Dad, four.

I smiled. I guess I could call myself optimistic for the first time, since I was happy that I had more than I'd lost.

No, I forgot one.

Mercy, one.

Clover, two.

Bryce, three.

Chris, four.

Theo, five.

Ravi, six.

Mila, seven.

Levi, eight.

Mom, nine.

Dad, ten.

All of my fingers, each and every one of them. Ten people that I could count on and call my friends. That was more than I ever could've asked four.