Ficlets

Tyler -- Chest Pains

I woke up in the morning with a dull throbbing in my chest. It wasn’t unusual for me to wake up with a few aches and pains; it was just what came out of a homeless life in Rade. This was sort of…different, though. I couldn’t explain it.

I decided to ignore it and took my usual dawn run around the park. The sky was just as gray as usual, just a little lighter than night. I sighed and watched my breath puff out in a little cloud into the brisk air.

After a few laps around the dead park, I settled on a sunken statue that was Max and I’s usual meeting spot. By now, I felt like I had a fairly good cramp building up – but again, in my chest.

About twenty minutes later, Max’s silhouette appeared on the park’s edge, bouncing up and down with his usual gait.

“How was the night?” That was always how he started. He was genuinely concerned about my welfare.

“Fi-” I started to say, then doubled over onto the ground. The pain in my chest burnt like fire, agonizingly sharp.

Max opened my shirt and gasped.

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