𝓗𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓜𝓮

Chapter 8

I think I died.

I'm dead.

I died because of a stupid car.

I swear that if ghosts are real and I become one, I'm dedicating my afterlife to hunting down whoever crashed into us. When I go, it's supposed to be greater than a stupid car crash. And most importantly it wouldn't be when I'm sitting less than two feet apart from Atlas Castillo.

Wait, if I'm dead, why do I still feel like I'm sleeping in the same bed? Surrounded by the same faint voices? A beeping sound hovered over my thoughts, grabbing my attention to my heart.

Beating.

It was weak, but it was there. My heart was still alive. Thud... thud... thud.

I felt a fire burning in my veins, taming down my cold body. I felt a sensation in my limbs, a pressure in my lungs. I could get a grip on my nerves again.

Alive. You're still alive. The voices grew clearer this time, but unfamiliar. I didn't focus on them though, I just wanted to open my eyes right now.

Slowly, I did. I opened one eye before the other, blinking to clear the blurry lights. Once my gaze was semi clear, blinking slowly at the grey ceiling, I let out a breath, feeling my lungs open up for oxygen. I'm breathing. I'm alive.

I turned my head to the right, seeing a bunch of men, like, three I think, talking to each other before my gaze fell on a boy, probably Kai's age, with his eyes closed, his head resting on the wall behind him as he sat on a chair. I blinked once, trying to make up where I've seen him before, but it didn't click.

He looked so drained though, his face pale, his worry lines visible. What's happening? Where am I?

One of the men turned his head to me, his eyes widening a fraction before nodding to the one next to him, both of them letting a sigh of relief.

"Finally," he murmured under his breath, taking a step towards me, making my body tense. He probably noticed because he stopped in his tracks, giving me a smile, "don't worry, we're not going to hurt you after trying to save your life for hours."

"Hours?" My voice came out raspier than I intended, exhausted, barely there.

"Your state was very bad after the crash," he nodded, "but we healed you."

"Who are you?" I swallowed, who the hell are we?

"That I can't tell you, but I promise you'll be back home," he simply said before pausing, "well, if your cousin doesn't make a scene again any time soon."

My cousin. Emma. "Where is she?" I tried to sit up, ready for pain to hit me but weirdly there was nothing, I comfortably rested my back against the headboard, "where is Kai?"

"They're fine," he waved a hand, "everyone is—"

"Hey, man," the third guy grabbed the man's shoulder, nodding at the boy, "I think he needs help."

The man studied the boy for a second then walked up to him, patting his shoulder, "Davis? Are you okay?"

I lowered my eyebrows, watching Davis blink twice before nodding his head, "yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

The man whispered something to the other two guys surrounding him, one of them nodding and turning to me, "come with me."

"Where?"

"I don't think you want to spend your time in here, right?" He raised an eyebrow, and I let myself scan the room for the first time. It was wide, with shelves full of bottles and what seemed like medicine. I looked down, seeing a holter monitor connected to my skin, the beeps of the device going faster at my sudden panic, "calm down, as we said, we didn't go through all of this just to hurt you."