Christian, trying to be my hero. He could die tonight. The odds of that seem almost certain, and here I am, sitting at a distance in a vehicle, having never kissed him. Isn’t that what I’ve wanted to do all this time?
I stretched my legs out, one foot dangling out of the car onto the cold cement. At some point, I had kicked off my shoes because of the burning heat coursing through my body. My skin stung from the corn stalk cuts and gravel embedded in my soles, but the pain was nothing compared to what I felt inside.
I watched the sky, my tears salty against my lips as they trickled down. The clouds were parting, slowly revealing the stars. There was a strange peace in that, like they were watching this unfold. Meanwhile, Specter sat down beside the car, leaning against the metal with casual indifference. His lighter flicked on and off, a small flame illuminating the night briefly before it vanished again.
“I’d ask for a cigarette, but I’m not sure that’s how that works…” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sound of the rain.
Specter, with a slight grunt, pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag before replying, “I’ll smoke one for you.”
“How considerate,” I forced a smirk, though my lips trembled.
He exhaled a plume of smoke into the night, giving a slight nod, “Why won’t you tell anyone you’re dying?”
“They’ll understand,” I muttered weakly, leaning my head back, staring through the open sunroof.
“That’s not an answer, and they won’t understand,” he replied.
“They never really do,” I said, feeling a tightness in my chest, my breathing becoming increasingly labored. It felt like drowning in slow motion. My lungs filled with water as the world spun around me.
My eyes fluttered shut as I heard footsteps running toward me, a voice calling my name in alarm. "Ana?"
Sterling knelt beside me, his hands frantically searching my pockets until he found the empty pill bottle. His eyes widened as he scanned over my condition, panic lacing his every movement. He ran his fingers through his hair, clearly at a loss, before grasping my wrist, checking for a pulse.
“I need to try and get you up,” he said, urgency and desperation in his voice.
“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” I mumbled, barely able to form the words. I wasn’t even sure if he was real, or if this was just another hallucination.
Sterling’s face was a blur, a mess of emotions as he stammered, “How much did you take? Tell me they fell out—"
The sound of Pin’s voice cutting through the tension was like a shockwave. “What did she take?”
He marched over, fury radiating off him as he grabbed Sterling by the coat, yanking him away from me. The empty pill bottle tumbled from Sterling’s hands as Pin glared at it.
“Why is it unmarked?” Pin’s voice was sharp, dangerous.
“She said she was hurting—”
Pin pulled out his revolver, the barrel pointed directly at Sterling. “What the hell was in here?”
Sterling stammered, retreating a step. “This wouldn’t be happening if she didn’t overdose—”
The gunshot echoed in the night. Sterling crumpled, clutching his stomach. I tried to sit up, my body screaming in protest, but I couldn’t look away from the blood blooming beneath his hands.
“What the fuck did you give her," Pin hissed almost manically.
Sterling murmured, his voice fading. “If you had been on top of her—this wouldn’t have happened at all.”
YOU ARE READING
Subdue-X
RandomAna's world is turned upside down when she becomes entangled in a deadly drug trial, orchestrated by someone she trusted. As she fights to survive the harrowing ordeal, Ana's relationship with Christian is tested to its limits. Amidst their struggle...
