“Channel Seven news, I’m Cynthia Lowes reporting live from downtown. A terrifying tragedy hits home here in Philadelphia. We are here at Walnut and South Sixteenth Street at the Foreign Policy Research Institute where four well-known scientists have gone missing. A confidential source indicated that there is unconfirmed evidence of foul play. The building is locked down and there are no employees entering or leaving the premises. Currently, we have not been able to obtain any type of information from those in charge. The company is remaining silent and refusing to comment.”
The day appeared gloomy to Angela Straights. The sky looked as if it did not want the sun to penetrate the clouds. As she stepped out onto the walkway, she noticed the ground was a bit wet. Besides the ground being wet, there were tiny drops of rain scattered throughout the atmosphere. Angela paused for a moment to gaze at the sky once more. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The air was muggy and a cool mist blanketed the area. Small droplets bounced off her cheeks. She stood on the path taking in the stale morning. The misty air felt serene. Angela remained on the pathway for another five minutes. As she proceeded to the front door, a surge of intense pain entered her right leg. Immediately, she went down on both knees. She reached out her left arm to grab the doorknob. She gripped the handle tightly to keep from falling all the way down. The pain became so excruciating that she gave up on keeping balance. While continuing to grip the doorknob, she slowly rolled to the left one hundred eighty degrees lining straight up against the door. The feeling of the door exhibited a small amount of relief. Angela slowly slid down the door flopping hard on her buttocks.
The pain in her right leg was just above the knee cap. As she sat there staring down at the problem, she could not help but feel completely paralyzed. She watched in disbelief at the blood seeping out from the lower thigh. It was then Angela began to shriek. As she cried out, the pain appeared to purposely induce. She imagined that it had a conscience and punished those severely for drawing attention. She could not figure out why this was happening. The next course of action failed to surface. After several minutes of sitting in her own blood, Angela calmed down and started contemplating the next move. There was no one around to aid in this horrific event. The only thing she could see was red blood flowing down the concrete walkway. Mustering up the courage to move out of harm’s way proved hopeless. Every effort seemed to fashion another source for pain. She began mumbling to herself to try and cope with the realization that this might be the end.
“Got to get up.” She whispered softly.
The pain in her right leg appeared to slightly subside. Unfortunately, it did not offer a great deal of mobility. The more she attempted to move, the greater the pain antagonized the leg. Her only thought was getting back inside the house. The plan was going to take every effort she could muster. As she placed both hands underneath her buttocks for support, another sharp pain entered the right side of her neck. The force was so great it caused her entire upper body to twist towards the door. Immediately, she placed both hands over the new pain nearly scuffing an elbow on the door. Blood shot up into the air like a busted hydrant. After gasping for more air, Angela put her right hand on the ground to prevent from falling backwards. Her left hand continued to cover the neck wound. Blood flowed from the neck down to her chest.
She wore a light gray sports bra underneath an orange and black flannel shirt. The blood rapidly stained her clothes. There was nothing she could do. Her brain was remising to the fact it could be over. While staring up at the sky, she cried out again.
“Help me! Some…body.” She confusingly howled.
Angela stared at the sky for a few more seconds. It continued to refuse the sun access to the land. Sitting in her own blood, she started to drift into another reality. For a moment, images from work began flashing through her mind. They were sporadic and inconsistent. With all the pain, she could not piece together the images. Blood was everywhere and she could not make heads or tails to what was happening. The ground was stained with her blood. Every effort to retreat was met with intense pain. She attempted to use the doorknob for leverage to get off the ground. After several poor attempts at getting off the stoop, she began to realize that it was futile. The pain had completely taken over. It intensified at every angle her body struggled for an escape. She managed to lean toward the left side allowing her legs to slide out from underneath. At the moment, she was lying on her side attempting to roll over and face the ground. Once it became evident that this task was viable, she proceeded to straighten out and roll over onto her belly. Lying in a pool of blood, a distinct and familiar odor began to overwhelm her senses.