Chapter One

Catherine Berg’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel the moment a car ahead swerved wildly over the two-lane highway.

Her shaky right foot eased onto the brake pedal, but the blinding high beam stinging her eyes made it impossible to see beyond the glaring halo of yellow. She depressed the brakes further. The wheels locked. Her car skidded, and she struggled for control.

Metal against metal.

The shattering of glass splintered through the atmosphere, sending Catherine’s white car into the air, only to embed in a gully beside the road, leaving a gateway for death.

Screams, sobbing, and cries for help drifted through the darkness. She moved her hand to her forehead and felt the fresh trickle of blood as it oozed down her face toward her mouth. Pain fired its disabling claws through her legs, and she tried to call out, realizing the loss of blood was slowly stealing life from her body.

Her breath, a shallow intake as her lungs struggled for oxygen. Pain continued to shoot through her like the tip end of a branding iron—every hot jab more excruciating than the last.

Raising her right hand, she wiped away a mixture of blood and tears from her eyes. She forced one eye to open. Her surroundings were all but a blur. A twisted mass of metal and dark shadows under the sound of drizzling rain became her reality.

Distant sobbing and screams continued to permeate her ears. The odor of petrol and dampness of the surrounding undergrowth rose to her nostrils.

“Please. Please help. Someone help,” she pleaded in a low guttural sound, barely having the strength to push it past her lips.

The crying and calls for help faded into the bleakness of the night. Somewhere above, a lone plover shrilled through the remaining light drizzle.

Ambulance and police sirens hummed in the distance. Cars stopping, doors slamming, and the quick thudding on the surfaced road signaled help had arrived. Forcing the other eye to open, bright flashes of red and blue lights and the mumbling of voices invaded the fog in her mind.

“They’re all dead.”

Catherine’s heart almost stopped when she heard the male’s voice. Dead? I’m not dead. She tried to call out, tried to move, but the cold, hard metal surrounding her remained steadfast. She listened to voices, the revving of cars, and saw the reflection of lights dancing in a haze of reddish blue against the gum trees above.

But help didn’t arrive.

A raw ache settled in her chest.

“Please, I’m here. Help me.” It was a pathetic wail, barely reaching the buffer of the bank of earth between her and the rescuers. Her tongue ran over an unfamiliar taste settling over her lips—blood.

The constant drizzle patting her blonde hair and trickling down her back ensured she remembered what cold really was. She felt each shivering, cruel drop and wondered if death would take her soon.

Minutes passed, and help didn’t arrive.

The sound of boots thudding on the ground seemed to draw closer. Catherine closed her eyes. With every small intake at life, she listened to the distant sound of a river rushing, of a bird high above in the trees, and the light tapping of rain, but still no one came to her rescue.

No one knew she was dying.

“Please, don’t go without me. Please. I’m not ready to die. Please. I won’t die. I refuse to die...there is so...much...I want to...”

More car doors slammed, and a voice called out above the commotion.

“Hey, John. There are bits of metal on the side of the road up here...from a white car. The one on the road is red.”

Moments later, the same male’s voice yelled. “Hell, there’s a car upturned in the ditch...down there.”

The pounding over the earth, the occasional crack of twigs underfoot assured help was soon to arrive.

“There’s a woman inside, a young woman. Hey there. We’re here to help you.”

The warm touch of a male’s hand on her shoulder forced her eyes to flutter before opening.

“She’s alive. John. Quick. Now, right now! She’s lost a lot of blood. Hey, everything will be okay. What’s your name, love?” His voice was soothing, warm, and not quite believable.

“Catherine Berg. Please...” Her voice was barely audible as it gurgled against the rise of blood, before darkness claimed her world.