Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
“No. My phone is dying and I called you—”
“Call 911,” I shout, pointing at Shayne as I run for the door. “Valen’s trapped in her car in the river right before the light on University.”
“What?” Shayne shrieks, bolting up from the couch. “How do you know that?”
“Just call!”
I run out into the hall and burst through the double doors, almost taking out a guy trying to enter at the same time in the process. I hesitate for a fraction of a second to consider taking my car, but I could make it to Valen on foot in less time than it would take to get to the student parking lot and drive over, and I don’t know how much time she has.
“I’m coming,” I tell Valen, my feet pounding against the snow-covered sidewalk as I cut through campus. “Tell me what’s happening.”
“The water’s coming in,” she says. She’s trying to keep her composure, but I can hear the underlying panic.
“How much water?”
“Just hurry.”
“Valen,” I say, coming up on the busy main road. From here, it’s just a little over a mile. “How much?”
“It’s past my waist,” she finally says.
Shit. It’s worse than I thought. Not wanting to waste another second, I dart out into the street, taking my chances with four lanes of traffic. A car swerves into the next lane to avoid hitting me, and another one honks their horn, but I make it across in one piece. “I’ll be there in just a couple minutes,” I tell her, picking up the pace. “Do you have anything in your car that you can use to break your window if you need to?”
“Um…I don’t think so.”
“Okay.” I rack my brain, trying to think of something that could help. “What about your headrest? Is it detachable?”
“Hang on,” she says. I hear shuffling again, and the sound of rushing water. “Yes. I got it.”
“Good. You’re doing good. If for some reason your car goes under completely, use the metal ends to break the window.”
“I could really use that tropical vacation about now,” she tries to joke, but it falls flat.
“I’ll take you anywhere you want this summer,” I promise. “The Bahamas, Maldives, Costa Rica. Wherever you want to go.”
“Don’t be nice to me. It makes me feel like I really am going to die.”
An image of Valen, blue and lifeless and limp just like Danny, pops into my mind, unbidden. Panic claws its way up my throat, but I shove it down, needing to stay calm for her. “I’m always nice to you, remember?” I clear the worry from my voice. “And after tonight, you’re going to owe me at least a month of sleeping in my bed, so don’t think you’re getting off easy.”
“There’s a joke about getting off easy in there somewhere.”
I try to force out a laugh, but the only sound that comes out is my harsh breathing. I might be in good shape, but it’s no easy feat to carry on a conversation when I’m running full speed.
“Valen?” She’s been silent for a minute. I need to hear that she’s okay.
“I’m here,” she says, and I can hear her teeth chattering. “Are you close?”
“I’m not far now. Shayne called for help, too. It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”
“Good, because it’s almost to my chest.”
I never truly understood the expression about blood running cold until this very moment, but that’s exactly what happens. The coldness seeps from my chest, spreading out to my limbs, followed by complete numbness. And pure terror.
“Remember what I told you. Break the window if you have to.” I push myself to run faster.
“Okay,” she says, her voice trembling. “Holden, I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not going to die. Even if the car goes under, you will not die. This is just a backup plan, okay?”
The line suddenly goes quiet. Too quiet. “Valen?” I say, pulling my phone away from my ear to see that the call ended. No. I call her back and it goes straight to voicemail.
“FUCK.”
I see the intersection up ahead, and everything else goes blank. My adrenaline takes over, not letting myself think about anything other than getting there, knowing Valen is just past that light. After mere minutes that feel like hours, I make it. I see the tire marks in the snow from where she swerved off the road and run toward them. I jump over the guardrail and weave through the trees above the embankment before skidding down the steep hill.
I don’t want to die.
And that’s when I see it. Her car is only a few feet out into the water, just like she said. The back end is still just above water, but the front end is submerged. I scan the ground, looking for a rock to break the window. I grab one with a sharp point quickly, and then I drop my phone to the frozen soil and run into the water, holding on to the cold, jagged rock like a lifeline.