Page 60 of Sins (The Sins Trilogy 1)
“Good question. Figure it out and they’ll give you a Nobel Prize.”
“For chemistry!” We both laugh.
Through the rain, a pickup truck appears, coming toward us, slewing a bit on the slick highway…and in our lane. No headlights, which is why I didn’t see it until now. My heart starts pounding, sweat instantly slickening my hands. I hit the brakes with all my strength and honk. The truck doesn’t change course.
“Oh my God!” I scream, jerking the steering wheel to the left. We’re too close!
The pickup hits the Lexus with an unbelievably loud metallic crunch. The impact is a shock wave through my entire body. I’m thrown against the seatbelt strap, arms and head snapping forward. Time starts to slow down. The only sound I hear is my own rough breathing.
My vision’s warped—everything feels blurry and weird. Something warm and wet covers my face and chest, and my ears feel muffled.
I look to the right. Charlene is unmoving, her face covered in something red.
The truck moves backward… Hit and run, I think vaguely, struggling to pull myself together. Need to get my phone. Call 911.
But no. It rushes back at me. My head’s so sluggish, I can’t figure out why…
Instinctively I try to hit the gas, but I can’t. My foot seems disconnected from my brain. Or at least it’s not hitting the gas hard enough to make the car move. I can’t figure out which.
Everything happens in slow motion. The truck moving toward me. My body not responding like it should. Charlene starting to slump toward me. Is this the end? So damn unfair.
I pray for a miracle, even knowing it won’t happen. The Lexus is stuck. Maybe I should’ve stayed back at the community center with the other members of the quintet. I think about Tony. How brilliant. How handsome. But impossible to reach. He made it so clear. I wish I hadn’t met him. No. Not that. What I really wish is that I hadn’t fought with him on Wednesday. I just want to see him one more time. Hear his voice one last time, saying, “I love you,” even if it isn’t enough to let me in all the w—
The truck crashes into us again. Everything goes black.
