Jioni climbed through the window onto the ledge. But she paused; her blood stopped pumping as she viewed herself: her ear was completely missing, and the chipping spread all the way to her eye; she had cracks on her arm, from her shoulder to her wrist. And she felt none of it. The pain stopped and felt numb, as if the limb were dead. Jioni’s chest rose and fell heavily as she realized she was damaged.
“Let’s climb down first—then we can get you to a doctor or something,” Kathy said.
Lost in thought, Jioni didn’t reply. Her breath stalled, and her stare was vacant. She looked at her arm with repulsion; it throbbed, that, and her heart. She took a deep breath and knew the best thing now was to ensure that they made it out safely.
“You’re right, let’s move,” Jioni said. Her voice remained low.
