“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” The voice on the other end of the phone echoes in my ear.
Unfortunately, I can’t seem to get my brain to process what to do next. Instead, I stare in horror and shock at the place where the red SUV plummeted from view.
“Oh my god. Mom, did you see that?” Avery asks, her voice now reaching octaves far higher than normal. “They just flew off the road.”
The black truck guns it, racing off as it heads north—and away from us.
Without thinking, I drop my phone down onto the middle console as the tiny metallic voice continues to ring out. I shift into gear and floor it.
“Mom,” Asher cries out, grabbing hold of the door handle and squeezing hard. “What are you doing?”
“We need to see if they’re okay. I won’t let whoever was in that car die down there alone,” I say, my voice cracking, despite my resolve.
My heart thunders in my chest and all I can think about is... What if they have a family? What if it’s a whole family in there? Oh my god, what if there are kids in that vehicle?
Tears stream down my face by the time I slam on the brakes and shift into park.
“Mom don’t go—” Avery says, groping for my seat.
“Honey, I need to check on them,” I say, unbuckling my seatbelt and opening my car door.
“Don’t leave us here alone,” she squeals, pulling on my sleeve. “What if that psycho comes back?”
“Mom, don’t go,” Asher says, echoing his sister’s concerns. He swallows hard, his tough exterior melting away as his whole body shakes.
I glance down and pick up the phone. Shoving it into Asher’s hands, I say, “Talk to the dispatcher. Tell them what happened and stay on the line with them until someone from the police arrives. If you see anyone who’s not a cop or an ambulance coming down the road, get out of the car and run into the tree-line over there.” I point the direction we came from.
“What about the wolf?” Avery squeaks, her brown eyes wide with terror.
“Honey, what if there are kids down there?” I ask, matching her desperation. “I have to check on them, sweetie. If roles were reversed, I’d want someone to check on us, too. Stay in the car as long as you feel safe. I’ll be right back. I promise.” I reach out, pressing my hand to Avery’s cheek, then I turn to Asher. I squeeze his shoulder and point to the phone. “Talk to them.”
Then, without another word, I close my door and race to the spot where the SUV vanished. Behind me, I hear our Highlander’s doors lock—something I taught them to do from a very young age. With a final glance over my shoulder, I mouth, “love you both,” then begin my descent down the sharp, rocky landscape.
The sun is low, but the heat from the day is still evident as the humidity pools between my shoulders and trickles down my back after only a minute outside the air-conditioned vehicle.
Huge boulders and rocks make up the area at first and as I make my way down into the ravine, I can’t even see the red SUV. However, the further I descend, trees and shrubbery develop and evidence of the wreck becomes apparent. Branches and leaves are scattered all over and the further I go, bigger branches and chunks of plastic, glass, and metal litter the ground.
I see the smoke from the engine before I see the SUV itself. When it comes into view, its front bumper and hood are crumpled so far inward, I can barely make out where the engine was. The vehicle rests at an odd angle, partially on its passenger side, partially tipped downward. Every side of it is crumpled in some way, clearly having rolled its way to this final resting place.
“Hello?” I call out, my voice wavering. “Is anyone there?”
Half of me wants desperately to find them alive, but the other half of me is scared shitless that I’ll find them dead. Biting back the rising bile, I edge closer, trying to get a view of the cabin.
The stench of burnt rubber, gasoline, and electricity tickles my nose and I’m suddenly acutely aware of the dangers as I approach.
Could the vehicle explode?
Goodness knows if this were the movies, it would blow the second I get close enough.
A muffled groan escapes from the vehicle and without another thought, I race forward, needing to do whatever it takes to help the person—or people—inside.
“Hello?” I repeat as I get to the driver’s side door.
Not a single window is left on the vehicle. Instead, the shards are scattered all over the ground, inside the dash, and across the seats. I breathe a sigh of relief when I realize there are no additional passengers inside, but the driver is in desperate need of medical attention.
Blood gushes from his head and he blinks hard to focus on me as I grab hold of the door.
“Oh my god,” I breathe, floating my gaze inside the cab.
Not only is he barely coherent, but he’s hanging by a thread. The front dashboard is practically resting in his lap and something metallic has been shoved from the engine and lodged itself into the middle of his torso. I swallow hard, forcing down the contents in my stomach that are threatening to come back up.
“Please, you have to—” the man begins, extending a bloody left arm out the broken window toward me. His voice is a raspy whisper as he waves to me, urging me to bend closer.
My eyebrows tip up and my heart breaks for him. There’s nothing I can do to help save this man. He’s going to die and I’m going to be here to witness it.
I clear my throat, trying to be strong for him as I bend in. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
His chocolate brown eyes are wild with fear and he gropes for my hands. “You have to tell her...” He takes a labored breath, coughing up blood. It spurts across the steering wheel as he turns away from me. When he turns back, the color has drained from his face. “Tell Clem I love her.”
I nod, my head bobbing on my neck like a bobblehead. “Of course.” I reach out, placing my hand over his extended arm. I have no idea who this Clem is, but I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she gets the message.
The man seems appeased by this and his eyes drift closed as he takes a slow, rattly breath from his nose. When his eyes reopen, I double-take, and stumble back. Gone is the chocolate color and instead, his irises have an unearthly golden glow. The hairs on the back of my neck and arms rise and my breath hitches. Every inch of me is screaming to run—run far away.
With more energy than I thought he’d be capable of, the man lunges forward in his seat. The sound of metal slicing through meat and bone makes my skin crawl as he reaches out of the vehicle and grabs hold of me. In a swift motion, he pulls me forward until my knees hit the side of the door.
His grip is insanely strong as he holds onto me and even if I wanted to run, I wouldn’t be able to. Between his ridiculously strong grasp and the power rolling off of him, my body locks up—clearly going into freeze mode.
God, why can’t fight be my go-to-F response?
“I’m sorry,” he mutters, blood spewing from his lips. It splatters against my cheek and I tip my face away out of reflex. His golden eyes flash again as he takes another labored breath. “Please believe me—this is the only way.”
I clutch at his hand and shake my head. “What is?” I ask, my voice rising with the question.
A heady energy surges, surrounding myself and the man like we’re in the middle of a tornado, despite nothing of the sort going on. Before I can do anything, he yanks me closer until I’m practically in the vehicle along with him. Then, in a movement so swift, I barely registered it—his teeth plunge into my bicep.