"Don't talk. I'll explain later." She would have apologized for the tightness of her grip if silence hadn't been paramount. Her limbs were growing tired, the blood leaking out of the cut on her throat making her dizzy. Having finally lost the deathless children, she could not afford for them to find her again. There was only so long she could spend running.

Riza heard the gun fire and for one delirious moment thought that it had hit her. She felt nothing, but it took time to actually feel the pain. Shock often numbed the initial blow. But the young girl fell beside her and Riza realized that she had been hit. She glanced quickly to see where -- the shoulder -- and then turned her attention to the source of the shot.

Nothing. There was nowhere for a sniper to hide, no place for the gunman to run to. It was simply an endless hall. Where had the shot come from?

First things first. She knelt down beside the girl, surprised and impressed that she was not crying. "Let me see your wound." She reached for the hand that staunched the flow of blood.