Pieces of the Present - [Danona] Book Two ✓

19. storm of dust - part two

She heard only silence.

A beautiful silence that she had been chasing after for her entire life. A sound so painstakingly quiet that she was certain that the world had stopped. Along with the silence came the numbness. The shock that her body had endured along with the whiplash, protecting itself against the injuries. She wasn't focused on the quietness of her body, she was focused on the perfect lack of sound. It was appalling; how could the city streets be so silent?

This. This was what she had searched for. 

But then the silence was no longer. In its place, the sound of steam hissing filled the absence of noise. It was lulling her to sleep, begging her to keep her eyes closed because if she did, she would float away in the feeling of nothingness. But soon after that, the sirens sounded in the distance, accompanying the sound of steam and smoke coming from beneath the hood of the car. 

"Katie? Katie!"

Like a shield had been granted over her body, she knew the pain was there but that she just couldn't feel it. How the seat belt had anchored her back into the chair, the fabric biting into her skin as it pulled her down. 

She felt none of the physical pain that made itself known to her limbs. But there was one pain that crept through the peacefulness. An emotional regret; the greatest pain of all. In her twenty years of life, she had made amends for every lie she told. At least, she tried to. But she would've been a fool to ignore the fact that she was on the cusp of life and death, and therefore had not confessed the truth to one of her secrets. 

She had been waiting for the right time. Eight and a half months and that time hadn't come. The thought of taking that lie to the grave was just enough to force her eyes open and witness what she was going up against. What obstacle life had thrown at her this time, testing to see if she could survive it. 

The sirens were growing louder, and through the thin skin of her eyelids, she could see the reflection of the red and blue lights. Until she had opened them. 

"Katie, are you with me?" Connor's familiar voice pulled from the fog. She felt as his hands gently cradled her chin, leaning her back in the chair and stabilizing her neck. She tried to swallow away the taste of dirt and dryness in her mouth. As her eyes adjusted to the blindingly bright daylight in front of her, the panic started to thrum through her veins.