“Sniper!” I yell as I drop, desperate to get across to Ellie now. She’s bleeding, a pool forming under her body, but I can’t see where she was hit.
So much blood.
Outside, there is return fire. Sirens.
Inside, I’m a man clawing his way through slick red mess, trying to find a wound to put pressure on.
Boots on the stairs.
Voices in the distance. “He’s not dangerous, don’t shoot. Medic. We have two people down in here!”
They’re wrong, though.
One person, one monster.
I stare down at Ellie’s pale face. No, she would say. He’s a person, too. People are monsters every day.
Two people down in here, and it’s all my fault.