His eyes were suddenly curious as if he had no comprehension of the pain he now felt. They clouded over as a single trail of blood flowed down his nose and over his left eye. His mouth opened so slowly; it appeared as if it were coming unhinged.
And just like that, he fell backward. It didn’t happen in slow motion like I thought it would. One second he was standing, the next he was flat on his back.
The barrier that had protected me was now collapsing in on itself. I could feel the energy flowing into my body the same way it had gone out, through my hand. It traveled up through my arm and slowly worked it’s way toward the very center of my torso. It didn’t rest in one spot, but was a constant companion inside of all of me.
I was aware of eyes on me. I turned to see the standing man’s expression had not changed. He continued to stare at me, curious. A strange tugging sensation riddled through me, directly toward him. It was as if we were magnets whose force attracted rather than repelled.