went black_

The dial spinned backwards from 0.

It caught my finger in the process and the cut produced blood. I had to stop myself from sticking the germ infested extremity in my mouth.

The voice came on the line. I spoke to it. Another voice came on the line. I spoke to it, also. Then I hung up the phone and turned, advancing towards the restroom to wash my hands. The blood starting to define each wrinkle in my knuckle and that scrape on my forearm from that damn bastard who’d pushed me out of a moving vehicle was dotting the strawberry burn again.

The room was small. Two stalls – one missing a door – and a single sink. It took a moment for me to realize there was someone leaning against that sink, feet crossed at the ankles. He was facing me, head titled back, eyes closed. The single light bulb above us casting shadow over him. It flickered a moment.

I stopped just inside the room, letting the door fall shut behind me. He immediately stared me down.

I then became aware of how trapped I was in that room.