‘Wake up, Taro.’ Female voice, whispering, nervous. Where was he? Why did everything hurt so much? Someone pulled at his arms, not hard, but enough to make the pain worse. He hoped they’d stop soon. ‘C’mon, Taro, wake up. I’m tryin’ to help yer!’ Help him? He forced his eyes open, the lashes pulling painfully. The left eye wouldn’t open properly and kept watering. He couldn’t focus on the person who was tugging at him, but opening his eyes was enough to make him remember where he was. He groaned. ‘Shit! Stay with me now, Taro. Wake up!’ Why was this girl bothering him? He wished she’d go away and let him sink back into the numb, safe darkness. ‘Go ’way,’ he mouthed. ‘Lemme die.’ ‘What? Fuck’s sake, Taro, yer the one said tha’s not the way. Remember? Remember me? Arel?’ ‘Arel?’ A lifetime ago, saving a stranger from herself. He’d told her things weren’t as bad as they seemed. What a lie that turned out to be. Taro blinked and opened his eyes again.
