Chapter 38: Nightmare
The lanterns burned too bright. The drums pounded too wild but Autumn’s heartbeat drowned them out.
"Kieran!!! I have to find Kieran. I have to see his face...What nonsense!!What nonsense what she spewing! Mad woman! "
She shoved through the throng, shoulders and elbows slamming into hers. Lantern light smeared into streaks of gold and crimson as her vision tunneled. Every breath scraped her throat...every exhale came back a thin, whistling croak.
"Move...please, move!I need to find Kieran...I said,move,morons! " She rasped and gasped her way through the dancers. They were blissfully shaking those booties and having the time of their lives.
"Where is he? WHERE IS HE?" The words rattled like stones in a jar until her chest locked...refusing the next breath.
The world tilted. Cold sweat beaded at her temples.
Breathe, Autumn, breathe...Too late. The edges were already blackening.
She pressed a fist to her sternum, fighting the rising tide of dizziness.
"Steady. I can’t fall.I can’t fall here!I need to find Kieran first. " A hiccuping gasp slid out of her lungs.
"Kieran!" She tried again...barely a whisper that cracked mid air. No one so much as twitched.
Panic was rapidly imploding.