87. You came

ERICA

It was one hour that seemed too long and yet too short with death hanging on my head like a dark shadow. The red timer on the bomb strapped to my torso was the only break in the darkness. But despite the darkness, I could not forget that there was a dead body there in the same room with me.

My senses felt heightened in the dark. I was aware of the cold, the dirt and grit beneath my feet and the smell of my surroundings. Everything was making it hard to breathe, my chest felt too constricted to even take a deep breath in. I didn’t know if it also contributed to my headache that was getting worse and worse with each minute that passed or it was just the injury, but it really hurt even to keep my eyes open.

I blinked in the dark, trying to stay awake, even though it was torture in itself to see the seconds tick by. I think I might’ve slipped into unconsciousness because my head felt foggy and my whole body felt like it was no longer responding. I ached everywhere. It hurt like I