41. Mer - Not Today

While the last thing I wanted to do was face Catherine Conover, I would do it for Lucy. I just hoped she was alright. Colt seemed so desperate on the phone, and I hated hearing that Lucy had been crying.

Lucy just had to hang tight until I could make it to her, then we’d have a fun rest of the night together.

But what if I showed up and Catherine refused to let Lucy go with me?

My gut twisted.

As I ran through possible responses, a stop sign flashed past me.

I turned my head in shock . Did I just do that? Did I just run that stop sign?

Oof. I needed to focus. My mind was rushing to get her, but I still had about twenty-five minutes in the car until I reached Catherine’s house.

Moving toward the upcoming yellow light, I went to slow down, but my car wouldn’t obey.

What the…

My body went shaky as I stomped on my brake, but nothing happened.

The road angled slightly downhill leading to the intersection, so I started picking up speed as I barreled straight toward it.

I slammed the center of my wheel, laying on the horn as I raced into the middle of the intersection.

Pushing back in my seat, I screamed as headlights came at me. Cars blared their horns, but no one crashed.

“You’re okay,” I rasped out, but my whole body shook violently as I white-knuckled my wheel. I immediately hit the hazards and my body went ice cold with sweat as I continued stomping on my brake.

“Shit, shit, shit, what do I do?” I cried to myself. My eyes darted around my car and landed on the emergency brake. Feeling an ounce of hope, I yanked on it, but my car just kept moving forward.

Fear clawed at me, eating me from the inside out, making it impossible for my hands to even hold the wheel. I was already the girl who didn’t reach the finish line, the girl who lost everything right on the cusp of having it all, and deep sorrow swept through my whole body. I couldn’t let that happen to me again. Not when the life I desperately wanted was so close.

With a new determination, I laid on the horn as I passed through another intersection. Yanking my wheel hard, I narrowly missed a collision, but loud crashes sounded behind me.

Flashing blue lights went off behind me and I cried tears of relief. “Cops,” I said aloud.

A small hope bloomed in my chest. They had to know what to do. They could fix this, right?

I couldn’t die.

Not today.

My 31 years could not end in my shitty Escape right when I was on the cusp of having my happy ending.

Not right when I finally made it back to Colt.

Not when Lucy and I just found each other.

Lucy .

Lucy needed me.

I was flanked by two cop cars which were both signaling me to stop.

“I can’t stop!” I screamed at my driver’s side window. “I can’t stop!” I shook my head at them and motioned around, praying that they understood what I was trying to say.

All three of us were racing toward the next red light. Unlike the other intersections, this one was backed up with major traffic. Cars trying to turn were stuck in the middle.

I wouldn’t fly through this one.

I was going to crash.

Tears blurred my vision, but I was afraid to let go of the wheel to wipe them.

The cop cars slammed to a stop beside me and everything became eerily quiet.

A second later, I slammed back into my seat with a shocking force. My whole brain cut out for a second, feeling like I was being rattled loose. The airbag deployed, smacking me in the face as I slammed forward. The smell of burning rubber and smoke filled my lungs. Black seeped into the corners of my vision, pulling me down.