Alive on Arrival: Chapter 25

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25

Jake is on the floor on his back. His coffee mug has fallen from his hand and shattered. The coffee has already pooled under and around him on the tile floor. His nose is not only bleeding like a son of a bitch, it’s already beginning to swell to twice or three times its normal size. It’s also turning an interesting shade of purple-black. So are the undersides of his eyes.

My heart is pounding and for a split second or two, I consider kicking him in the gut, maybe taking out his spleen in the process. But I’m barefoot and I don’t want to break a toe. Not when I’ll be expected to be so mobile for God knows how long.

A commotion coming from behind me. I gaze over my shoulder. Patty is standing there. Once again, she’s wearing only her panties and a T-shirt.

“What the fuck is going on here?” she says.