Lenny couldn’t move. All he could do was lay there and stare upwards. Everything felt numb. He couldn’t swallow; everything was brittle and hard and weak all at the same time; his throat felt so dry, like it had sealed up, like every ounce of moisture had been pulled from his body. Was he even breathing?
He’d just wanted to send a message. He’d just wanted to make a point to people. And Sarah. He hadn’t seen that coming. He thought he knew her, and that she knew him and would understand. He hadn’t known her at all. That she could do this to him!?
“I’ve killed one of the Scarecrows,” he’d told her. “I shot it. It was in the precinct. That’ll keep the others away. Scare them.” He’d laughed a little.
Sarah had cried and then she’d gotten furious. Lenny couldn’t quite remember what she’d screamed at him. Remembering was harder now too. “They’re just like us,” she had said, afterwards. “You’ve gone too far. Everyone’s gone too far. The real message isn’t getting through at all.” And then she’d had that look in her eyes that made Lenny afraid and he hadn’t seen her again.
Lenny couldn’t move but he could just see to the tip of his arm. Straw. Sarah could have just talked to him. Not this.