ARIA
Consciousness returned like a slow-rising tide, dragging me up from darkness into a world that hurt.
Everything hurt.
My head throbbed with a vicious, pounding rhythm that made my skull feel too small. My face felt swollen, puffy, I could barely open my left eye. My ribs ached with every breath, a sharp reminder of the beating I'd taken in the van.
The van.
Sarah.
The gunshot.
Oh God.
The memory slammed into me with physical force, stealing what little breath I had left. I saw it again, Sarah's face, shocked and pale, the blood blooming across her chest like a grotesque flower. The way she'd crumpled to the ground. The way she'd tried to crawl after me, fingers scrabbling against concrete, leaving red streaks in her wake.
The way Andrew had just walked away.
Left her there to...
My stomach lurched violently, but there was nothing to bring up. Just dry heaves that made my ribs scream in protest.
Focus, Aria. Focus.
