Page 89 of Shattered Silence Duet

This is it, I’m not going to survive this. My vision darkens and I welcome the peace that it’ll bring. Before it completely takes over, though, my mind flicks to thoughts of my seven guys. I picture each of their faces, their smiles, their laughs, the looks they give me, their hugs, their kind words.

Atlas… He made me promise him something important.What was it?

All you have to do is ask for help.

Sniffling, I wish I had done that, I wish I had asked.

But my mind suddenly catches on a nugget of hope—My phone! It’s in my bag.

I look around as best I can and almost cry with relief when I find it a few feet to my right. Slowly, I wiggle myself over, one painstaking inch at a time until I can grab the corner. I pull it closer and almost scream at the pain in my shoulder where the knife’s still stuck. My fingers reach in and when I feel my phone, I wrap them around it as hard as I can, pulling it free. My tears come harder each step closer I get to reaching Atlas.

The longest moment of my life is waiting for my phone to switch on while I try to keep myself conscious. I can feel my bodytrying to shut down. I mentally slap myself and wiggle my toes to remember I am still here, still alive, still awake. Relief surges through me when my screen comes on, giving me the energy to finish this.

I have to do it with one hand, and the darkness is closing in, so I do the fastest thing I could think of. All it would take is two clicks. Contacts. Atlas. I hear it ring as it falls from my fingers near my face. I try to turn my face as close to it as possible. He picks up after only one ring.

“Malishka?”

A sob bursts out of me.

“Mina? What is it? Are you okay? Tap for me, Malishka,” he begs, sounding terrified. I try to move my hand, but it’s unresponsive now and I whimper in fear.I need to ask him for help.

“Mina!?” he yells through the phone.

The blackness is so close now, I’m almost out of time. I take a deep breath and in a raspy, painful voice I whisper the one word I hope he will understand. “Help.”

To be continued…