First responder, second love

Chapter 20

I hear people laughing, I feel the warmth from the sun on my skin, and I can almost smell the grass. I open my eyes, and look straight at the blue sky.
    "You look beautiful today, Sammy," I hear a familiar voice speak next to me.
    "Thank you, I needed that," I say without thinking.
    "I will always tell you how beautiful you are, even when you don't agree," the familiar voice reacts. I look to my left and my heart stops beating for a few seconds.
    "Ben," is all I can say. The young man next to me smiles. He is lying next to me on a blanket in the green grass. It's a sunny day, and people are enjoying the good weather, just like we are doing, apparently.
    "Ben, is it really you?" I ask stunned.
    "Of course, it's me."
    "But, how?"
    "What do you mean, how? Are you okay, Sammy?"
    "Are you?" I ask immediately.
    "I feel fine."
    "How, how are you here right now? And where are we?" I ask while I sit up and start to look around. Apparently, we're in a park, and a memory starts to come back to me.
This is the park near our university. The same park where we used to spend our free time together or with friends. But how did I get here, and how can I see and talk to Ben? What the hell is going on?
    "How are you feeling?" Ben asks me all of a sudden. He looks worried and takes his hand through my hair.
    "Are you hurt?" Ben asks me while he touches my cheek. His hand on my cheek feels almost real, that is impossible. Ben can't be here next to me, I shouldn't be able to talk to him, or even feel him. He had a car accident and died. I know, because I saw his lifeless body. I said goodbye, while they buried him. So, how is it possible that I can see him now? Does this mean that I'm dead as well? Did something happen?
    "Promise me you run when you get the chance," I hear Ben say out of the blue. I look at him, while trying to figure out what is going on.
    "Promise me you won't give up."
    "Give up what, what do you want me to do?" I ask confused, but then things are coming back to me, and panic sets in. I remember having a fight with Evan, and leaving his apartment. I remember driving to Eddie's house, and him kissing me. I remember thinking I was being followed, and parking my car in the parking lot below the apartment complex. But what happened next is the reason I got here, to my safe space, because all I want right now is to feel safe.

The sound of children playing, and people laughing, slowly fades away. The smell of the green grass leaves my noise and the warmth of the sun leaves my skin. And Ben slowly disappears out of sight. Different sounds fill the empty spaces, like a motor running and a radio playing. I open my eyes slowly, and I know admittedly where I am, in the back of someone's trunk. I try to move my hands around, which are not tied together, fortunately. It's a bit dark in the trunk, but I try to see if I can find something to protect myself with. I go around the trunk with my hands, but I can't find anything useful. I feel the panic setting in, and my hands are starting to shake, and my body starts to shiver. I have no idea what to do, how to fight him off when he comes for me. All I know is that I have to. When Ben died, I promised myself to live for him as well, to get everything out of life, and I won't lose that promise. I'm going to fight, I'm going to make it out, whatever it takes.

After a while, the motor stops running and we stop moving. I listen while I hear someone getting out of the front of the car, and slamming the door behind him. I hear footsteps outside the car, and with every step my fear grows. I have no idea what I'm going to do when the person outside the car opens the trunk. Will I freeze, fight or flight? Do I even have a choice? And who is the person I fear right now? I hear the footsteps getting closer, and before I know it the trunk opens, and a stream of light comes in. Which must be the light of a lamppost, because when I got to the parking lot it was dark already. I look up and see a man standing in front of me, a man I've never seen before, I think. It's a tall man, with short dark hair. He's wearing a dark-colored shirt with a jacket. He looks at me without saying a word, he just stands there. Who is this person, and what does he want from me? Should I know him from somewhere? He comes closer to me, and tries to grab me. That's the moment I can see is face clearly, and I remember the day I met him. It's the same day I drove on the ambulance, the same day it went over a cliff, and the same day I almost died. The man in front of me was one of the men in the front of the ambulance. One of those men died, and the police never found the other, just like they never found the criminal who escaped that day. This man, right here, is the one who helped the patient escape, who helped him kill the police officer, and who pushed the ambulance off the cliff. I feel the fear getting bigger, my whole body starts to shake, and I feel tears in my eyes. Because at this moment I have a feeling what's coming, who's coming.