Free Syphon: Guardians of the Fractured Realms by Chad Kunego Page A

in and out of consciousness.
    “Hank, it’s me Samuel. I’m going to to bring you to someone who can help. Just try to relax.”
    Struggling to open a rapidly swelling eye, Hank tried to focus on him.
    “Su… Sus… Samuel?” he asked weakly.
    Samuel could tell the injured man was struggling to form a coherent though based on the deep furrows breaking across his forehead.
    “Yeah Hank,” he said gently, “ it’s me, Samuel. I’m going to get you back to the shelter. They have medical people there who can help you.”
    Standing up, Samuel tried to get his bearings. Almost without effort, a mental map came up in his mind’s eye on how to get back to the shelter quickly and without gathering undue attention. It felt like another one of his lost memories returning, but he couldn’t take the time or effort to focus on it right then. His biggest concerns were getting Hank to medical help and getting away from the aftermath his rage had caused before the cops came.
    Pulling Hank a little tighter to his body to help lessen the jostling, he took off at a gentle jog, trying his best not to bounce his injured friend.
    §§§§§§§§§§§§
    Samuel kicked the door to the shelter open, accidentally breaking the latch and causing the door to slam against the wall.
    “I need help over here!”
    Several pairs of eyes looked at him.
    “I need help! Now!”
    Shaking off their shock, several of the workers scrambled over to him.
    “What happened?”
    “He got jumped! That’s what happened. Where can I set him down?”
    “This way,” one of the workers said, moving away at a rapid pace.
    As Samuel followed her, a couple of the others began to follow him.
    “Everyone, get back to work. I’ll take it from here.”
    Samuel glanced over to see Carl rapidly heading toward him, shooing him on.
    “Don’t slow down, keep following Blythe. She’s taking you to what doubles for our infirmary.”
    Picking up the pace slightly, Samuel continued following after Blythe.
    “Wait right here,” she said, leaving him in a room near the showering area. Reappearing a minute later, she unfolded a cot before motioning him to set Hank down.
    “Can you help me get his jacket and shirt off?”
    “Yes… We need to be careful though. I think some of his ribs might be broken.”
    After a few minutes of getting him partially undressed, checked over, and situated comfortably, Samuel stood up to stretch. Catching Carl’s glance, the other man motioned for Samuel to follow him.
    “Is he going to be okay?” he asked Blythe quietly.
    Rubbing the back of her neck, she looked up at him.
    “It’s still really early to tell, but I think he’s just got a lot of bruises and superficial cuts. I don’t think his ribs are broken, but they may be cracked. My biggest concern is internal bleeding though. I’m going to call one of our EMT volunteers to see if they can swing over quick to give him a once-over, see if he’s serious enough to take to the hospital or not.”
    “Thanks for helping him.”
    “No, thank you for bringing him here.”
    He glanced at Carl again, who was starting to look a little annoyed.
    “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help,” he said softly before turning to follow Carl out.
    Carl headed down the hall and turned in to a small office, clicking the light on before motioning for Samuel to sit. Closing the door behind them, he walked around a desk before sitting down, looking at Samuel for a moment before speaking.
    “So tell me, what happened? I only heard a bit about him being jumped?”
    “Yeah, about six or seven men were attacking him. I stopped them.”
    As he started talking, Samuel had a chance to really think about what had happened. One minute, he was fine, the next minute, he was filled with rage at the treatment of his friend. Why he felt he could stop them, in hindsight, was pretty far-fetched. But in the moment, he knew, beyond any doubt, that the men posed no threat to him. Honestly, he