The Traitors

Chapter 2 - Logan

Emma was visibly shaking, which was the first thing I noticed when I opened my car door. Her phone was still clutched to her cheek as she held herself with her unoccupied hand. I reached for her phone and hung up on myself before placing it on the hood of my car. I scanned her body for any noticeable injuries. She appeared physically fine, but her eyes were wide and wild as her body was running off adrenaline. 

"Are you hurt?" I asked, reaching for her, but she swatted my hands away.

"Not me," she squeaked. "Help her!" She motioned to her demolished car. "Hurry!"

I raised a brow at her, then sprinted toward the wreck. There was no way I could get to her from the passenger's side as the door was crushed into the trunk of the tree. I crawled into the driver's seat to assess the situation.

The inside was illuminated from my headlights so I could see fairly well, but I wasn't so sure I wanted this image burned into my brain. The red head, who sat in the passenger's seat, was unconsciously still. The undeniable smell of blood attacked my nose immediately. I could see some soaking into the girl's pants from an injury I thankfully couldn't see. The window was gone, and the tree trunk sat in its place. Shards of glass were scattered around her, so I did my best to avoid them as I moved closer to get a better look at her. I struggled to see if she was breathing, so instead, I searched for a pulse. My fingers lightly touched the side of her neck, but I felt nothing.

I took a deep breath as I shifted my fingers to the base of the stranger's skull. I discovered the nape of the neck was the strongest place for me to heal others. I wasn't sure why, but it got results. A warm liquid coated my fingers as I closed my eyes and concentrated on my heartbeat. I inhaled the metallic smell once more and allowed my Trait to take over.

My body was pulsing like a sonar as I searched for the feeling of her heart. I just needed a single beat, something I could attach myself to in order to heal her. I was as still as the girl next to me as I fell into a meditative state. The girl felt hollow, but warmth still lingered within her frozen husk. 

But no beat came. 

"C'mon," I breathed out. "C'mon."

Still nothing.

Was I too late?

"C'mon!" I pleaded. "I know you're still in there."

It was strange. Her body was unnaturally hot, compared to the only other girl I tried to resuscitate. I could even feel the interior of the car getting warmer, as well. I cracked my eyes open to locate the source of this oddity. Heat radiated from the girl's palms, which rested in her lap and at her side. 

Her Trait?

Maybe my hand was in the wrong place. 

I inched my left hand toward her hands, refusing to move my right which was still based within her hair. The heat intensified the closer I got, but I pushed through it and clutched her hand within my own. I closed my eyes and tried again. 

Focusing was proving to be harder this time around. It felt like I had placed my hand on a burner set to high. The feeling was excruciatingly painful, but I held tight as I could finally feel the rhythm of a flickering flame, and it held my attention more than the pain. She was going to live, and I was going to make sure of that.

A weak pulse surfaced which I could feel in the fingertips of my right hand. I homed in on the new beat, leaving the rhythm of the fire behind. With every passing second, her heart grew stronger and before I knew it, the girl's hand twitched in my own.

Holy fuck! She's alive?

"Emma!" I called, hoping to draw her attention over here. Her footsteps approached rapidly as she yanked the door open wider to peak her head inside.