Darkness. That was what I had seen as I shut my eyes tight, holding them closed, not wanting to feel the impact of the bullet lodge itself in my brain. So many thoughts circled around the drain of my consciousness. Then it occurred to me. If the bullet had found its way into my brain, then how could I have been conscious? How could my thoughts have continued?
Slowly, I cranked open my eyes. Izi stood behind Zariana with her own gun, the shot of which had found - and made a hole in - Zariana’s left shoulder. Izi kept the gun trained on Zariana and in a blink, there was another hole in Zariana’s right forearm, ripping through her tendons and causing her to drop her firearm, freeing me from immediate danger.
Kiela stood to the right, just behind Zariana. The lynx and the cheetah stared at m
