A Silent Rise

Silence held the room. I lay facedown upon the rough brown carpet, stiff beside the fallen figures of other figures. Then, warmth stirred in my fingers. I flexed my wrist. The joint moved. Carefully, without sound, I pressed my palm into the carpet fibers and eased my torso upward into a low crawl. Before me rested the still, blue and red arm of the figure ahead. I touched its rigid shoulder with a single fingertip, waiting for a response. Nothing stirred. I held my breath, lowered myself back into a steady, watchful crouch, and kept watch.