Page 94 of Lethal Threat
I race back down the stairs and skid to a halt in the kitchen.
There’s a note on the fridge, hanging under a magnet. I pull it down.
My vision tunnels. Two words glare at me.Yours, Cole.
Something in my head short circuits. Images consume me.
I’m driven to my knees on the polished wooden floor as my brain spins out of control.
“Oh! No… what?—”
Everything comes flooding back.
The wave of memories is so strong, I have to fight not to throw up.
The scene plays out as clear as if I was watching a movie. A horror film that I’m starring in.
Evelyn and I were in a boat looking for Bryan.
It was night. But before we made it to the spit of land where she’d heard he was camping, another boat came tearing at us. Then the man on the bow of the boat pointed a gun at us.
They’re tied to Bryan. It is the only explanation for someone chasing us.
A shiver races through me. The terror of us being chased, our small boat flying over the water is visceral. I can feel it all over again.
Their boat is bigger. Faster. An awful sound happens—the breaking of fiberglass. We crashed on hidden rocks.
Oh god.
I double over and clench my stomach. My whole body is shaking as I lean against the kitchen cabinets. It’s painful to breathe.
It happens so fast. My body flies through the air. The railing catches my stomach. I somersault into the darkness.
The taste in my mouth is back. Brackish. Dirty water. Now I know where it came from.
Another awful memory assaults me. I whimper through the terrible images and sensations.
The water is cold. Roots and grass are tangled around my legs in the blackness. I didn’t know which way is up. So much pain. God, there is so much pain. All over my body. My head.
Holding my temples, I rock as I sit on the kitchen floor. The panic of that night is coursing through me all over again. My heart races. My hands go clammy. My eyes close.
Bryan.I never found him.We failed.
I almost died. A shudder grips me as I remember how it felt when my vision faded that night. Drawing down to a tiny point, then it disappeared completely.
God. How horrible.
I cry and cry. Sobbing until I’m nauseated and aching all over. I have to find Bryan. He could still be alive.
It takes minutes, but I climb to my feet. My body wants to buckle, but I hold on to the counter.
I’m exhausted. It takes forever to make it back to the edge of the sofa. I cradle my head. My stomach rolls. The memories keep playing out like a movie.
The next thing I recall is someone’s hands on me, rough, grabbing, dragging me up and over the edge of the boat. The rescue. A hand smacks my face, the unknown voice calling to me. Then the sting of vomiting briny water.
An ambulance took me to a hospital. Paramedics were talking over me. Then doctors, so many doctors. So many questions from the police and the medical staff.
Jane Doe.
