Continuum

Mists of storm clouds hovered above the mountains, swimming ever faster over my head. I walked faster. I supposed you would have too. The wind curled around my neck and I felt the chill of something more heading my way. I wonder if that's what it feels like? Can you tell me? Can anyone help me? I raised the crimson hood around my frozen ears. It dulled the strengthening gale. My hands were sluggish from the cold but I didn't care as I popped my knuckles unknowingly. crack Witnesses mentioned that sound. It wasn't a sickening crunch or a moist slap. Just a crack. A bit like lightning. My eyes popped to the sky. crack I shook the stiffness from my hands and approached the street corner. Left, right. Since the storms came, people lingered less in the streets. Since the event, I linger ever more. Puffs of steam billowed from my mouth as I soldiered on. Did you wake up today feeling something besides the rush of air in your lungs? The call of the bathroom or the blubbering of the coffee pot? It must be an imperative, then. You weren't ever foolhardy. Never unkind. Never uncouth. My hood raised up from the wind and my increasing pace. It reminded me of how a dog's ears will prick when something is in the air. I stepped on a twig. crack Did it whisper to you to leave your home? To enter that road at that exact moment? I stopped at another corner. Through quickening afternoon mist, flashing lights in the distance pierced through the haze like moonlight off a satellite. An ambulance sped past me as cars veered out of its way. At the corner, I stopped and peered back to see how far they went. My brow furrowed. In the distance, a small crowd gathered around the now stopped ambulance. My hand was still. On the ground, was a person wearing something dark. Something red. Without thinking, I took a step off that corner and heard a crack.