On The Sidewalk Bleeding Summary Novels & Stories

The sidewalk outside should have been in view from where he stood, but he couldn’t spot her. A knot twisted in his stomach. He stepped outside—then saw the crowd gathering. People murmuring. Phones held high. He pushed forward. When he saw the basil and the torn packet on the ground, soaked in red, his legs nearly gave out. "Delilah…" he whispered. His chest clenched. His feet moved before his brain caught up. He dropped to his knees beside her. She was losing too much blood. Her lips were pale. Her eyes fluttered but didn’t focus.

A white rose lay on the floor dripping with blood. A small, shiny blade lay beside it. A beautiful object in such a terrible and painful condition. The blood stain on it did not hide it's immaculate and beautiful nature. She puffed smoke in the air and took a sip of the liquor beside her, as she glared at the bleeding rose with sad and anguish filled eyes, it told a lot about her and her agony. She was as beautiful as the rose in front of her.

CRASH! I squeezed my eyes shut in terror. The quiet street exploded into chaos in seconds. People swarmed over. I forced myself to open my eyes. A crowd had already gathered on the road. My heart was pounding as I walked over. Each step was heavy, but I had to know what happened. I was scared to look, but the crowd made space for me. I saw it: someone lying in the street, blood pooling around them, but the injuries weren’t too bad, thanks to a metal beam that stopped the car from hitting them full-on.

Footsteps tapped on the boardwalk above our heads, but I didn’t move, I just stayed focused on the one field of vision I had—the sidewalk that led to the Aquarium. Even as I prayed that they’d leave me alone, that they’d think we’d gone elsewhere, I knew that wasn’t in my future. My future was blood red. In the near distance, above the roar of the ocean and the sporadic flood of screams as bullets cascaded into the sand, I heard brakes squealing. The cops? They were too late to save me from myself though. A guy walked down the sidewalk. He paused, looked over the underpass to the left, then, he twisted to the right. The second he did?

I mean, it was midnight too and there was no way she would be out this late. But then, I heard the scream again. This time, it was louder than the first time. I jerked up and raced outside, almost knocking over the flower vase at the front of my room. I met Kayla wriggling on the ground, bleeding from her thighs and her stomach. Fear gripped me to the core when I saw life slowly leaving her. I grabbed her, took her into her room and tried to find a means of stopping the bleeding but she didn’t budge. She insisted that I carry her outside if I wanted her to live.

Then he kept walking. He stopped in the doorway and turned his head. One boot came down on the edge of Vivian's cashmere coat, grinding the pristine wool into the filthy water. She was still sprawled on the concrete, her ruined makeup streaking her face, her fingers bleeding into the puddles. The guards stood frozen. The washerwomen had their hands pressed to their mouths. The old man with the coal shovel had gone utterly still.

I yelled. "Don't just stand there, do something." Amanda said to Candice. Not wasting further minutes, I picked up my phone to call an ambulance. I was feeling numb seeing blood rush out of him. I was afraid he won't make it before the ambulance arrive. I quickly grabbed a cloth to apply pressure on the wound. Amanda and Candice stood still in shock watching me fight this on my own. I was overwhelmed with grief. Tears rushed down my eyes like a waterfall. I couldn't handle it alone. My eyes bled with pain.

As soon as I got out of the taxi, I sought out Allerixk and Blythe. As I was searching for them, I thought about calling Mama and Kuya Samuel, but their phones were out of service. A familiar voice from the backyard cried out the name of Allerick. I knew it was Blythe. There I saw Allerick laying down with Blythe standing in front of him, her clothing stained with blood and sobbing. I drew nearer to them. When I saw the blood on the road, a deep sensation of terror washed over them, a short paralysis. "Allerick!" I yelled.

But his shoulders stayed a little lower, and he didn’t quite meet her eyes. Near dawn, the worst of the bleeding was stanched. The most critical were loaded into ambulances, their vitals marginally less terrible. The dead were covered, lined up neatly in a row that made Lyra’s stomach twist even as she knew it could have been longer. The floodlights buzzed. The air cooled. Lyra stood at the edge of the makeshift camp, rolling her shoulders. Every muscle ached. Her hands were sticky inside her gloves. Aiden limped up beside her, moving more carefully now that the adrenaline was ebbing.

I collapsed onto the floor, my back pressed against the side of the bed. The room service lady pushed the door open and came in. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw me bleeding on the floor. “Oh my God. Ma’am!” She rushed over, dropping the mop bucket. “I’m calling an ambulance right now. Stay with me.” I nodded weakly, trembling as I continued to bleed out.