Page 105 of The Light Within

Cliff.

They plunged off the edge.

Julien’s stomach plummeted as the world tilted violently around him. They tumbled down the steep incline, the rough ground blurring past his vision. Maz’s wheels spun futilely, kicking up dirt and rocks as she tilted further to the right. The groaning metal filled his ears, and for a heartbeat, everything seemed to freeze before Maz completely flipped.

Snow.

Sky.

Earth.

Do something. Anythin—

Julien’s head smacked into the window, his vision exploding into stars as the impact reverberated through his skull.

Snow.

Sky.

Earth.

Everything became a blur as they tumbled, gravity pulling them in every direction at once.

The crunching metal and shattering glass drowned out Cinn’s scream. Julien’s hand shot out, grabbing his in a desperate grip, their fingers intertwining as the car continued its chaotic descent. Julien squeezed tighter, holding on with everything he had as Maz rolled over again, then again, each violent jolt threatening to rip them apart.

Was this really how Julien’s life ended? Tumbling down a cliff in his wreck of a car, clutching the hand of the boyfriend he’d had for less than twenty-four hours, to meet their shared, tragic fate?

In the madness of it all, their gazes met for a split second—eyes wide with fear, but also with something else, something unspoken. Julien didn’t need words to tell Cinn what he was thinking; the silent promise was there in the way they held onto each other, refusing to let go.

The car flipped one last time, finally slamming to a stop with a sickening thud that threw them violently forward. The airbags exploded with a deafening pop, cushioning the impact but not the terror. A tree branch speared through the shattered windshield, narrowly missing them by inches, knocking the breath out of Julien’s lungs. The world fell silent, save for the ticking of the cooling engine and the ragged sounds of their breathing. Snowflakes drifted softly onto the fractured glass, a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them.

Julien’s breath came in gasps, his chest aching from the airbag’s impact. One hand was still clenched on the wheel while the other squeezed Cinn’s incredibly tightly, as if letting go would unravel his fragile grip on reality. Each and every muscle trembled. Eventually, using all of his energy, he relaxed his grip on the wheel to press against where he’d hit his head, his fingers coming away sticky. He blinked, trying to focus, trying to make sense of the world around him.

Please, let him be okay.

“Cinn…” Julien rasped, turning his head slowly. His neck protested the movement, a sharp pain shooting down his spine. “Are you… alright?”

Cinn slumped in his seat, groaning softly. A trickle of blood ran down his forehead. But he was alive.Alive. With obvious effort, he twisted slightly to face Julien with unfocussed eyes, then nodded weakly. “Right as rain, mate. You certainly delivered on your whole wild ride promise.”

Julien let out an unsteady laugh.

He tipped his head back on the seat, rubbing a hand over his face. Oh, how he wished he could sleep for a week.

Sadly, that definitely wasn’t on the menu. Because a plume of smoke was curling up from the crumpled bonnet, thick and black. A strange scent filled the air: chemical, sharp. A rapid, irregular popping noise accompanied it.

Once he realised what was going on, panic surged through Julien as yet another wave of adrenaline seized hold of him, overriding any concussion.

“Out! Now!”

Their hands dove simultaneously for their seatbelt buckles. Julien jammed on the door handle. It miraculously opened enough for him to slide out.

But Cinn wasn’t copying him.

“What are you doing?”

He was rooting through the glove compartment, now half-open, a crumpled mess of papers and debris strewn across Maz’s interior. Cinn held up their passports, grinning victoriously, as the trickle of blood beaded down his left cheek.

“Get the fuck out of the car, you idiot!” Julien shouted. Why was now the moment for Cinn to develop organisational skills?

---