Step.
Drag.
My left arm hung useless at my side, numb and heavy, refusing to cooperate when I tried to use it for balance. More than once I lurched sideways, shoulder scraping hard against a roadside boulder.
I swallowed the scream that rose instinctively in my throat.
Screaming wasted air I didn’t have.
The road dipped suddenly, carved into a shallow rut by old rainwater. I didn’t see it in time. My foot slid, ankle buckling, and I went down hard on one knee.
A sob tore out of me before I could stop it. My free hand shot out blindly, fingers slamming against jagged rock.
Skin split across my knuckles.
More blood. Always more blood.
I hissed through clenched teeth and forced myself upright, teeth chattering now—not from cold, but from shock.
The car was closer. Maybe thirty yards. Maybe less. The distance distorted, stretching and shrinking as my head swam.
My legs felt detached, like they no longer belonged to me. Heavy. Sluggish. Every step required conscious effort, a command screamed internally at muscles that wanted to quit.
Dizziness rolled over me in waves so strong I had to stop twice just to keep the world upright.
The stars above spun lazily, blurred pinpricks in a black sky that didn’t care whether I lived or died.
Please, I begged silently, to no one and everyone.Just let me reach it.
I reached the vehicle at last.
The relief was so sudden it nearly buckled me again.
I leaned forward and pressed my forehead against the cool metal of the doorframe, eyes squeezing shut as I fought to stay upright.
The chill of the steel seeped into my skin, grounding me for a heartbeat. I breathed—shallow, ragged gasps that sent bolts of pain screaming through my chest.
I peered through the rear window.
Empty.
Dark interior. No movement. No silhouette in the driver’s seat.
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
“No,” I whispered hoarsely. “No, no...”
Panic clawed at me, sharp and sudden.
I forced myself to look around, vision jerking wildly.
The only other structure nearby was the low building I’d noticed earlier—twenty feet away, maybe less. Crumbling plaster walls, stained by years of neglect. A single dim bulb flickered weakly above a wooden door, its light sputtering like it might die at any moment.
Someone had to be inside.
Someone had parked the car.
My knees gave out without warning.
