Kaelyn struggled to see in the half light cast by the flickering candle.  “Megan, hold still.  I’m never gonna be able to do this if you don’t hold still.”

Megan hissed through gritted teeth.  “Can’t.  It hurts.  Oh God it hurts!”  Her savaged wrist shuddered wildly in the half light.  The bleeding had slowed from an arterial fountain to a steady stream.  Angry black and greenish lines traced along her skin from the site of the wound, winding their way up her forearm.  Kaelyn peered at the wound, needle and thread from her $5 sewing kit in hand, trying desperately to find a way to stop her friend’s bleeding.

“If you don’t hold still, I’m going to give you that hit of heroin whether you want it or not.”

Megan managed a weak laugh.  “Startin’ to sound tempting.”  She reached over with her other hand and grasped her forearm, trying to hold it still.

“Cure all your ills.”  Kae cooed, trying to keep the lightheartedness going.  Whether on behalf of Megan or for herself, she could not say.  Finally she was able to press the needle into what looked like a good starting spot, piercing the blackened flesh on one side of the bite.

Megan screamed pitiably.  Kae pushed the needle through the other side as quickly as she could and tried to hold on to the thread as her friend convulsed with agony.  Kae felt her nerve begin to falter.  She couldn’t see how they were going to get through this.

Kae’s voice was heavy with emotion.  “Megan, I’m sorry, but you have to take this.  You’re bleeding badly.  If we don’t… If I can’t…”  Kae began to tremble.  She was on the edge of tears.

Megan looked up at her, lips quivering, her pale face nodding.  Tears welled up in her own eyes.  The two looked at each other.  In that moment of helplessness, something was exchanged.  “OK” Megan whispered, her voice barely louder than the steady din of screams and destruction that were coming from outside.  “OK.”  She took a breath and tried to brace herself.  “Do it.”

Kae took a breath, then pressed the needle into the exposed flesh on the other side of the wound.  Megan again began to convulse.  Kae tried to move more quickly, to get this over with.  She fumbled with the stitches, her target moving and flailing about.  She was trying to stitch in one continuous line, like sewing a piece of fabric.  She managed to get three crude loops into the mangled flesh before it just seemed to come apart under her fingers.  Megan screamed and shuddered.  Chunks of her flesh flew around the room.  With her other hand, in a moment of pure emotion, she punched Kae right in the face.  Kae flew back into the far wall, mouth agape, eyes full of horror.  She had the needle in her hand.  Several bits of rotted flesh dangled from the liberated thread.  Kae threw it away, horrified, and began scramble away from her.  Megan had gone from screaming to howling in agony, her back arched, clawing blindly toward the sky. Kae scampered out of the room, slammed the door to her room and sat there for a moment, her back pressed against Megan’s door, mouth open, glaring at nothing in the wall opposite her.

The sounds outside.  Megan screaming like a wounded animal.  All Kae seemed to hear in that moment was her own breath and heartbeat.