The world around Diane felt like it was spinning, the events unfolding so quickly that her mind couldn’t keep up. The deafening sound of the crash still echoed in her ears, a reminder that this, once again, wasn’t a dream. It was happening. Again.
Aaron, standing beside her, was staring wide-eyed at the wrecked car in the distance. He hadn’t even moved yet, frozen in place by the shock. Diane could feel her heart pounding in her chest, but there was no time to think. She couldn’t let herself think.
She grabbed Aaron’s shoulder, shaking him. "Aaron, we need to help! Come on, let's go!"
He blinked, his dazed expression slowly clearing, but his gaze was still fixed on the wreck, his mouth slightly agape. “W-What’s going on?” he stammered, his voice filled with confusion.
“There’s been an accident! We need to call for help!” Diane shouted, panic rising in her throat.
She fumbled for her phone, dialing 911 as she started running toward the accident site. Every step felt like an eternity, her legs heavy, like they didn’t want to move. But she couldn’t stop herself now. She couldn’t freeze like she had the first time. She had to do something.
When she arrived at the wrecked car, she barely had time to process what she was seeing. The vehicle had slammed into a tree, the front end crumpled, steam billowing from the hood. The driver’s side window was shattered, and inside the car, a boy—no older than Diane—was slumped over, unconscious.
Diane’s heart dropped into her stomach. She didn’t know him. She had never seen him before. But the fear coursing through her veins felt all too familiar.
With shaking hands, Diane forced the car door open, the metallic screech making her skin crawl. The smell of burnt rubber and gasoline filled her nose, making her stomach churn.
“Hey, can you hear me?” Diane called out softly, trying to rouse the boy. He was motionless, his face pale, his forehead bleeding from a deep cut. His breaths were shallow, rattling in his chest.
Diane didn’t wait. She knelt down beside him, her hands trembling as she checked for a pulse. She could feel his heartbeat, faint but there, and for a brief moment, she thought he might be okay. He has to be okay, she thought desperately.
Her fingers were already dialing 911 again, but she couldn’t keep her hands from shaking. It was like her body was moving on its own, each second dragging her deeper into the nightmare she couldn’t escape.
“Please, just hold on. Help is coming,” she whispered, hoping he could hear her. But deep down, she knew. She knew what was coming.
Her phone’s screen lit up with the 911 operator’s voice, but before she could speak, the boy’s chest gave one last heaving breath, and then it stopped. His body went completely still, and Diane’s blood ran cold.
No…
“No. No, no, no,” Diane whispered desperately, her voice barely a breath. She shook him, her hands gripping his shoulders, but there was nothing. He wasn’t moving. His body was already cold.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but they didn’t fall. She couldn’t let them fall, not now. Not when everything she feared had just come true.
The sound of sirens wailing in the distance broke her from her daze. The paramedics would be here soon, but it wouldn’t matter. It was too late.
She backed away from the wrecked car slowly, her legs weak, her body trembling with the weight of what had just happened. Her breath came in shallow gasps as her mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. She had told herself it wouldn’t happen again. She had warned herself, kept her distance. But she hadn’t.
And now, there was another boy—another innocent person—gone.
Her phone still clutched tightly in her hand, Diane turned and saw Aaron standing a few feet away, his face pale and his mouth opening and closing in shock. He had been too far behind to see what happened. But now, his eyes locked onto hers, filled with questions that Diane couldn’t answer.
“What happened? Is he—?” Aaron’s voice trailed off, his words hanging in the air like an accusation.
Diane didn’t answer. She couldn’t. There were no words that could make this okay. No explanation for why the universe kept throwing these tragedies her way.
With a soft, broken sigh, Diane turned away from Aaron and began walking back toward the park entrance. Her feet moved without her consent, and she didn’t know where she was going. She didn’t care. She just needed to leave.
But Aaron wasn’t done yet. He followed her, calling out her name, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t look at him, not now. Not when the same guilt was crawling under her skin, consuming her.
“Diane, please,” Aaron called again, his voice pleading.
But Diane didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Because if she did, the weight of everything would crush her. She couldn’t look back. She couldn’t face him, not when the truth was too much for her to bear.
Every time she let someone close, it ended the same way. She had known it would happen. She had always known.
YOU ARE READING
Fatal Strings
Mystery / Thriller"Every love she touches ends in death. But what if love is the only thing that can save her?" Diane has lived her life shadowed by tragedy. Every boy she's ever loved has met a mysterious, untimely end-from playground accidents to fatal falls. Haunt...
