Completely.
The world vanished.
No light. No air.
Just silence and suffocating blackness.
The engine roared to life beneath me, the vibration of it shaking through the trunk as the car lurched forward.
Tires spun briefly against gravel—then found asphalt—and we moved.
Fast.
The confined space grew hotter almost immediately.
Air trapped.
Stale. Claustrophobic.
Heat built with every passing second.
Sweat broke out across my skin, stinging every cut, every open wound.
My breathing turned shallow, uneven, my chest rising in small, careful movements as I tried not to aggravate the pain in my ribs.
I curled inward instinctively.
Protecting myself.
As much as I could.
But every bump in the road sent fresh agony through my body, jolting my injuries and making it impossible to stay still.
My thoughts spiraled.
Panic creeping in.
But I forced myself to focus.
Think.
Act.
Do something.
With trembling fingers, I reached down along my thigh, searching through the folds of my ruined skirt.
My phone.
Please—
I found it.
Still there.
Miraculously intact.
The screen cracked in a spiderweb pattern across the glass, but it powered on when I pressed the button.
