26. Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Derek
I know my eyes are open, but everything around me keeps slipping in and out of focus; I'm caught in some twisted nightmare. I try to fix my gaze on the steering wheel, but it's buried under a crumpled, deployed airbag. Then, suddenly, the red smears of blood on the white fabric come into sharp focus, and panic stabs through me. My left arm instinctively tries to move, but agony shoots through it, leaving me paralyzed with pain. I glance over and see the shattered glass, realizing my arm must have slammed into it during the crash. The hot, sticky blood trickling down my skin makes my stomach churn.
Faith…
The thought of her snaps me out of my fog. I jerk my head to the side, frantic, and there she is, slumped over the airbag, her nose dripping blood, eyes closed. My heart lurches as I reach out with my right hand, the only limb that isn't screaming in pain, and gently brush a blood-matted strand of hair from her face. But she doesn't move. She doesn't even flinch.
"Faith," I whisper, my voice cracking with fear. I shake her shoulder as gently as I can, terrified of what injuries I might be aggravating. "Please, Faith, wake up. You have to wake up." My breath was quickening, thinking out loud. "Please, Chelsea, please don't take her."
Her eyelids don't even flutter.
"Faith! Faith!" A man's voice cuts through the wreckage, calling her name with rising urgency. That voice—it's him, Ryan, the bastard. He did this; why would he try to kill us? That's a stupid thought. He wants me out of the picture. My blood boils at the sound, but there's a deep, paralyzing fear underneath it. I try to turn my head to see where he is, but the world tilts, the edges of my vision going dark again. Pain surges through me, making it almost impossible to think, to move. I need to protect her...
Desperation claws at me as I fumble for the gun tucked at the small of my back, but my hand feels numb, useless. The sound of snow crunching under approaching footsteps sends a cold wave of terror through me. Even if I manage to get the gun, what chance do I have? Ryan could easily overpower me, and I wouldn't even be able to aim straight in my condition.
But he's getting closer.
My chest tightens with panic as I fight to unbuckle my seatbelt, but the pain is overwhelming, radiating from every part of my body. Ryan's voice echoes louder, making me struggle harder, but it's useless. My strength is fading fast, and as much as I push myself, everything goes black.
When I open my eyes again, the scene before me is surreal. I'm no longer inside the truck but outside, looking in at my own battered, motionless body. And standing there, bathed in an ethereal, glowing light, is Chelsea. She shouldn't be here—she's dead—but her presence feels so real, so heartbreakingly familiar. She's smiling at me, but the sadness in her eyes sends a fresh wave of dread through me.
"What's wrong?" I ask, my voice trembling as she steps closer. "Am I dead? I can't be dead." I frantically pat my body down, expecting to feel the agony I was just in, but there was nothing. No pain. Just numbness. That can only mean one thing—I must be dead.
Chelsea shakes her head softly.
"You're not dead yet, but I didn't think you'd be ready to leave so soon," she says, her voice as warm and gentle as I remember. "I thought you'd want to stay for her."
Her gaze shifts to Faith, who's starting to stir at Ryan's voice getting closer to the truck. Panic surges back as I realize what this means. I don't know what Ryan plans to do when he gets to her, but I can't let him reach her. I have to protect her, no matter the cost.
When I turn back to Chelsea, the realization of why she's here hits me like a punch to the gut. The guilt is suffocating, knowing she's come to take me with her. For so long, I thought if I ever saw her again, I'd run to her without hesitation, desperate to be with her again. But now, with tears in my eyes, I shake my head.
"I can't leave her," I say, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry, but I can't leave her."
The pain in Chelsea's eyes fades, replaced by a deep, peaceful understanding.
"I know you can't, Derek," she replies, her voice softening.
"Then why are you here?" I ask, confusion and sorrow mingling together.
"Sometimes, you need a reminder of what you already know in your heart," she says with a knowing smile. I know how much you love her, Derek. That's why you can't be here. You're meant to stay a bit longer.
For her. Now, go. Help her."
Tears spill over as I choke out, "I will always love you, Chelsea." Reaching my hand out, hoping to feel her one more time. "Your love is why I am here, D," her voice full of the same love and warmth I've missed for so long. "You called for me; I want to make sure you stay here - with her, that's where I want you to be. I miss you both terribly, but I'm OK; I need you to go back, Derek before he has her standing beside me." Leaving with a soft kiss on his lips. "Hurry!"
And with that, I'm jolted back into my body, into the pain, into the fear—but with a new determination burning in my chest. I have to save Faith. I have to make sure she's safe.