9.
582 Words
Three days. That's how long it took her to get her affairs in order. In anticipation of her departure, she had already limited her life to the bare essentials for a long time. Three days of anguish, where every morning a new gift and a new card appeared on her doorstep. "M' seemed to be worried that she would no longer be working. He asked her what she was going to do, threatened to hunt her down no matter where she went. The fear never left Sarah. Despite this, when the city skyline disappeared from her rearview mirror a few hours earlier, the tension in her neck eased. Finally, she was away from all this madness. She can start again. Live happily.
The kilometres follow one another, the landscapes change. The weather is gloomy, but she doesn't care. Then, at the turn of a bend in the mountainous road she is travelling, the border. Her journey is almost over. The evening is already well advanced and a few drops are beginning to fall. As the hours pass, the rain intensifies. The houses become scarcer, the forest denser. Her eyes start to burn, fatigue weighs on her like a leaden blanket on her shoulders. She still has about fifty kilometres to go on this deserted road before reaching the next town. There's no way she's going to stop in this remote area to sleep. Who knows what lurks in the undergrowth? She continues on her way, turns on her car radio, then searches for a music station without success. She gives up, then turns it off. As she looks up, a massive blur crosses the road. She panics, turns her steering wheel sharply, and mashes the brake pedal. She goes fast, the road is slippery. The tyres squeal, but it is too late. The little city car crashes into a tree on the side of the road. The sound of the crumpling metal sheet is deafening, the airbag deploying feels like she's been punched in the face. Everything goes black and only a red veil on the periphery pulses with the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat.
When she regains consciousness, everything seems blurred. Only the sound of the windscreen wipers is perceptible. A steady rhythm, unlike her pulse. She coughs. Dark droplets stain the airbag. She is in pain. The red haze is increasingly present, oppressive. Her breathing is difficult. She unbuckles her belt. Her pale hair has a strange rust colour. The driver's side window exploded when her head hit it head-on. She doesn't pay any attention to it though. She pulls herself out of the carcass, then drags herself towards the asphalt strip. Every movement is torture. Every breath she takes feels as if she is being stabbed. Everything is blurred, she can't see anything but indistinct shapes shrouded in crimson tones. On her back, she suffocates. She drowns in the rain that floods her face. She is half conscious. Her body is on fire. A figure leans over her. Followed by a pain that would drive anyone completely mad. She screams until her throat hurts. Her heart is beating so fast that she feels like it's going to implode. The scene distorts before her eyes, then turns grey and red.
She feels herself being lifted up, but she can no longer see anything. Everything around her disappears. There is only red-tinted darkness and pain, but also a voice. A sweet, frightening voice:
"I told you I would find you... Sarah."
- Writer
