KimRae had been swallowed by darkness and felt nothingness surrounding her. No fear. No pain. No sound. Nothingness permeated by a sense of relief as if nothing in the world could possibly matter anymore. Maybe she was dead and sincerely hoped so. She was so tired of scrambling to live in this burned out world where no one was friends, no one were ever truly allies. She was tired of being alone and having to prove herself to others. No one cared for her and if she was dead, she would no longer have to care for anyone else. No one had cared for her since …..<br/><br/>“Kim… I’m here to help. I can ease the pain.”<br/><br/>She thought she heard his voice. No one else ever called her Kim. KimRae was her name and she had always insisted on it to everyone and only,..  The voice was soft, almost a croon as a solid warm hand rubbed her back.<br/><br/>“It’s Raymond.” The man’s voice continued.<br/><br/>KimRae frowned. Who was Raymond? How could there be a Raymond in nothingness? She opened her eyes a slit and was struck by the light. She thought she had tumbled into a basement into blackness and now she was surrounded by light. Truly she must be dying because that is what the folktales said about death, the light at the end of the tunnel and being surrounded by a bright light.<br/><br/>“I’m one of the men from earlier and I need your permission to look at your wound so I can help.” The voice insisted.<br/><br/>KimRae groaned and tried to roll over but the hand on her back held her in place. Sounds of gunfire and monsters screaming filled the background sounds but still the voice speaking to her was calm and quiet. She focused on the soothing voice, craning her neck to see who it was.<br/><br/>“I need your permission to look at your wound so I can help.”<br/><br/>The face of the man swan into view and she dropped her heavy head back to the pavement.<br/><br/>“Hi,” she acknowledged him. “ It’s you. Did you die too?”<br/><br/>His face was grim and finally his words penetrated her brain.<br/><br/>“I’m wounded?” she asked groggily and reached to feel the wound in her side. When she pulled her hand away it was sticky.<br/><br/>“Help me.” She whispered before the blackness overtook her again.