Page 56 of All He Sees
She was supposed to save all those girls.
They needed her.
She tensed her knuckles as the helicopter plummeted toward the ground. She squeezed Ken's hand tight and prepared for death.
"Hold on tight!" Danny yelled. The rotors spun violently as the smell of smoke burned Nicky's nose.
She found herself wanting it to just be over. All Nicky's life had been leading to this one, final moment. She knew it would happen quickly. Yet in the moment, it was like wading through sand.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the water getting closer and closer. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. She wasn't ready. She couldn't be ready. She had to hold on. But the helicopter was falling too fast. It was simply too heavy to land safely.
She felt her body tense, ready to be knocked back from the force of the crash.
Then, finally, the helicopter slammed into the water.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
The helicopter collided with the water, and Nicky slammed into the roof. She heard a loud cracking sound and felt the roof cave in on top of her. The rotors were still going, and Nicky found herself trapped against the roof of the helicopter as it sunk into the water.
The water rushed around her, and Nicky felt a sinking feeling deep in her chest. She wasn't dead yet. As the water swallowed her, she felt her ears pop, and knew she had a few more seconds of consciousness left.
She glanced over to the door. It was only a few feet away, and Nicky was just about to swim to it--when it slid open. She looked up and found herself staring at the shape of a young girl.
She couldn't see her clearly--it was like the girl was fading into the light.
"You're going to be okay," the girl said.
Nicky looked at her, confused. "Who are you?"
She stepped further into the light...
Rosie. Her little sister.
She was here.
Nicky's heart nearly stopped. She looked so real. But in that moment, Nicky realized she was hallucinating.
It was her brain playing tricks on her.
"You've done more than you think," Rosie continued.
"I haven't done enough," Nicky said. "I haven't really done anything. I haven't saved you. I haven't saved Mira or Clara or Erica."
"I know," Rosie said. "But you've done more than you think."
The darkness was closing into Nicky's vision. The water was getting closer. She couldn't hear anything, like she was drifting away. She could see Rosie's smile, but the rest of her face was fading into the light.
"I want to be with you," Nicky said, gripping the girl's hand. "Please. Take me with you."
She squeezed Rosie's hand tighter, but she was pulling away.
Nicky was being pulled down, and everything was fading into the nothingness.
"No, Nicky," Rosie said. "You're right... the world isn't done with you yet."
Nicky gasped for air. Rosie was gone, and she was in the helicopter as water rushed in, flooding it.
Her chest hurt, and she coughed again. Her ears were still ringing, and she felt like she wouldn't be able to stand up.
