The bleeding body in my arms moved and spread his hand, wrapped in black smoke, out.
The next moment, there was absolute silence—no gunshots, no music.
I coughed up blood and looked into the silvery-white eyes that smiled up at me.
"Don't touch the drugs; don't touch the water." He laughed happily, apparently not injured at all, unlike me.
I was unsure if he was truly warning me or if he was talking to himself, as he was clearly high on something.
"What is happening, Henry? Why is it like this?" I managed to say, trying to stay conscious. But he just giggled, looking like a little child, a serial killer, or someone so broken that even the shards left behind couldn't mirror his lost self; I couldn't tell which it was.
*******
Back from the vortex, I felt the water around me splashing as my body spasmed.