Behind me

Chapter 13-The end

As I was running towards the location, my anxiety and fear mingled as I got closer. Each step felt like it weighed a ton, but my determination remained unwavering.

However, as I navigated through the dense forest, a sense of despair began to creep in. The trees and trails seemed to merge, creating a confusing and eerie landscape. I was lost, unable to find my way.

Anxiety continued to swell within me, and panic set in. My mind was clouded, and my heart raced uncontrollably. I felt small and vulnerable in the middle of that dark forest.

Finally, I managed to catch my breath and calm down. I took a deep breath, feeling the fresh forest air fill my lungs. I looked around, trying to orient myself, concentrating on retracing the steps I had taken in my mind.

I was getting closer to the house when, suddenly, I stopped in my tracks. There she lay on the ground, in a shocking state. Kate, with a blunt haircut, her face pale, and her lips purple. She was covered in wounds and bathed in blood. My heart froze at the sight of her in such a terrible state.

My hands trembled as I approached her, touching her face gently. I called her name with anguish in my voice, begging, "Kate, please, open your eyes."

She made an effort to open her eyes, but her gaze was vacant and glazed, as if her soul were on the brink of leaving her body. The sight was agonizing, and my mind was reeling in despair.

"Kate, please, don't sleep. Stay with me," I implored, desperate, as tears blurred my vision. I applied pressure to the wound on her abdomen, but blood continued to trickle between my fingers, staining my hands red.

I knew that if we didn't get help quickly, Kate wouldn't survive. I tried to move her, but I didn't have the strength to get her out of there. I fervently prayed for someone to arrive and help us, doing everything I could, but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

Kate closed her eyes, and my voice grew weaker as I begged her to wake up. Her skin grew paler, and her body colder. I held her tightly, knowing her time was running out. My heart ached, and my voice trembled as I continued to plead for her to come back to me, but nothing happened. Silence and stillness took over, and the pain of the loss was overwhelming.

Finally, the police arrived, and my mind felt hazy, as if I were trapped in a nightmare.

I remember being taken into an ambulance, my body still covered in blood. The sound of sirens and the commotion around me felt almost surreal. I was dazed and in shock.

That's when I heard someone calling my name in the distance, "Alice." I looked in the direction of the voice and saw my father and Filipe approaching. They were clearly worried and had tears in their eyes. My father held my hands and asked if I was injured. I shook my head, unable to articulate words. Then he and Filipe enveloped me in a comforting hug.

My father tried to reassure me, saying that everything was under control and that he had already spoken to the police. I got into the car and rested my face against the window. The rain began to fall outside, and I watched the droplets trickle down the window, finding beauty in the way they moved. Yet, tears also started to flow down my face, reminding me that Kate would never see such a beautiful rain again.

When we finally arrived home, I went straight to the shower. As I watched the water carry the blood away down the drain, I wondered if she had felt pain and cold in her final moments. These thoughts were tormenting.

After the shower, I wrapped myself in a blanket and lay down in bed. I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. As I prepared to sleep, a part of me wished that, when I woke up, everything had been a morbid hallucination, and she would still be alive. It was a fragile hope amid the darkness of reality.