Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
We started to slide as soon as we were on the snow, but we were moving forward, too. As long as I didn’t stop, this might work.
My heart was racing as we barreled down the road, fishtailing every few feet. Wet clumps of snow landed on the windshield, smearing when I turned on the wipers. All the while, I kept up an internal chant. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.
We might have made it, if it wasn’t for the curves near the end of the road. I managed to make it around the first one, but rounding the second bend sent us sliding sideways. I turned the wheel frantically, but it was no use.
When we finally stopped sliding, we’d left the road and landed nose-down in a ditch. I tried backing us out, but the wheels spun uselessly.
I got out, ran around to the passenger side, and flung the door open. “We have to walk to the main road, baby,” I told Devon, as I tried to help him out of the van. He fell to the ground and curled into a ball. I tugged at him as I begged, “Please, baby, I need you to come with me. I love you so much, Devon. Please don’t give up.”
He struggled to his feet with the last of his strength, and I supported him with his arm around my shoulders as we began to slog through knee-deep snow. This felt impossible, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t let him stop, either. His voice was weak when he whispered, “It hurts.”
“I know, baby. I’m so sorry. But you’re stronger than you know, and you can do this. Take one step at a time. I think the main road is right around that next bend. We have to keep going.”
My leg muscles were burning. Every step was an effort. I wanted to cry, but I wasn’t going to give up. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, we rounded the corner and sure enough, up ahead was the highway. I whispered, “Thank god.”
The road had been plowed, creating a wall of dirty snow on both sides. Instead of making him climb over it, I helped Devon sit down, leaning him against a tree as I said, “Wait here. I’m going to get us some help.” I took off my coat and tucked it over him like a blanket before scrambling over the wet, slippery barrier.
It was a full minute before a car appeared. I tried to flag it down as I yelled, “Please, I need help!” It didn’t even slow down. Another minute or two ticked by. When another car appeared, I yelled even louder and waved my arms. It shot right past me. I caught a glimpse of the driver on the way by. He looked alarmed.
This was taking way too long, and I’d left Devon alone. He must be so scared. I needed to get him help, and I needed it now.
When a huge semi-truck appeared over the crest of the hill, I ran into the middle of the road, threw my arms in the air, and held my breath. My heart pounded as air brakes squealed.
The truck came to a stop a few feet from me, and a woman stuck her head out of the window and yelled, “That’s a good way to get yourself run over, kid!”
“Please help me! My boyfriend is really sick, and I have to get him to a hospital!”
Why would she believe me? That sounded like a scam or an attempted hijacking, especially since Devon was nowhere to be seen.
She ducked back inside and said something to whoever was with her. Then she leaned out the window again and asked, “Where is he?”
I pointed, my voice shaking as I said, “Over there. I crashed our van into a ditch. Please help him. I love him so much, and I don’t want him to die.”
I sobbed with relief when she pulled the truck to one side of the road and hopped out of the cab. She was probably in her early fifties with short, blonde hair and a lot of tattoos. A moment later, a second woman with dark, curly hair climbed out of the truck. As they approached me, I said, “I’m not trying to rob you or anything, I promise.”
“Yeah, we figured as much.”
They followed me over the snowbank, and I hurried ahead of them and called, “I’m coming, Devon! I got us some help.”
He was barely conscious by the time I reached him. I pressed my hand to his forehead and said, “He’s burning up.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I’m pretty sure his appendix either burst or is about to.”
“That’s really serious,” the brunette said. “Mine ruptured a few years ago. Worst pain of my life. Worse than childbirth.”
Between the three of us, we managed to carry him to the truck and settle him into the sleeping compartment. “I’m Marlene,” the brunette said, as she covered Devon with a blanket, and as the blonde put the truck in gear.