Page 36 of Beneath Her Skin

I see it now.

The road.

A surge of relief crashes over me, my legs pumping harder as I see the wet cement up ahead. Harder. Harder.

"Thank God," I cry out as my feet hit the pavement. Headlights approach in the distance, glowing through the rain, and for the first time, the overwhelming sense of safety overpowers my fear.

I made it.

I turn back, looking over my shoulder, expecting Josh.

I see his figure emerging from the dead fields, his face shadowed, watching?—

But then the car door opens. My stomach clenches, hard and merciless, making me double over as a sharp contraction seizes me. Small rivers of water trail between my legs, warm despite the freezing rain.

I look up, gasping for breath. And it’s no longer Josh.

It’s Rey.

His figure is sharp against the backdrop of the storm, his face calm, too calm, as he steps forward, rain dripping down his temple.

"Mi Reina," he says, voice smooth, familiar. "Are you alright? Let’s go back inside."

I don’t move.

I can’t.

My stomach twists violently, but it’s nothing compared to the panic freezing me in place.

I made it.

I made it?—

Didn’t I?

Rey moves toward me, hands steady, his voice laced with concern.

"Come on," he soothes, guiding me gently by the arm. "The storm’s getting worse."

My body moves on its own.

Numb. Weightless.

I step forward.

The passenger door opens.

I slide inside.

The door shuts.

The locks click.

The windshield wipers scrape against the glass, clearing the rain, but my vision remains blurred. Rey shifts into drive. The road disappears behind us. And just like that, he takes me back to my grave.

8

FEAR MAMA

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