The Grim Reaper Effect

-F O R T Y - T H R E E-

Chapter 43: Dead Girl Walking

I waited for the pain, but it never came. I didn't feel the impact of the car. I felt my body fly, but it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I blinked a few times, taking in my surroundings. The sky was still there. None of my bones were broken. The worst pain I felt was a scratch on my elbow. I felt grass around me, the cushion of my fall. At last, I sat up to see what happened.

My heart sunk.

My ears began ringing and my bottom lip was trembling. The rest of my body soon followed. I felt nauseous. I couldn't feel anything but fear. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I felt my body flung into motion. I never moved so fast in my life. I couldn't even feel my movement anymore.

Griffin's body lied there motionless.

I had no idea what to do. I cupped his cheek with my hand, lightly shaking him. When he didn't respond, I called for help. The car that hit him was nowhere to be found. Both rage and grief filled my emotions. I continued trying to get Griffin to wake up. I continued trying to get life back into him. I pressed my fingers to his neck, desperately searching for any sign of life in him.

"Please, please, please," I pleaded, unable to control my sobs.

I heard the sound of sirens bouncing off the walls of the buildings surrounding us. A door slammed behind me and two men joined me. They were holding a stretcher. They picked him up and carried him back to their truck. Without thinking, I followed them. I hopped into the back with them, holding one of his hands in mine.

I expected some sort of movement. Some sort of reassuring gesture. That was Griffin's job. He always comforted me. His reassurance was a constant in my life. I felt comfortable knowing he was around. That last bit of solid ground was now unconscious in the back of an ambulance, hardly breathing.

A hand landed on my shoulder. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Griffin. I would give anything to see those glowing gray eyes again. I didn't even know how much I looked forward to seeing those gray eyes until now. Now that I didn't know if I would get to see them again, I wanted them more than ever.

"It's going to be alright. We're the best in our line of work," A woman said in my ear.

Finally, I looked up at her. I saw her eyes glowing and I felt a flicker of hope. She was a Reaper. I glanced around and noticed the same glowing eyes surrounding me. This calmed me temporarily. They knew what they were up against.

One of the men's eyes widened, "This is Griffin Ryder."

The entire truck went silent.

The same man began banging on the wall, "It's Griffin Ryder! Drive faster!"

The driver wasted no time in getting us to the hospital. The minute we got there, I was escorted to the waiting room while Griffin was rushed away from me. I took a seat, feeling panic rise in me once again. He pushed me out of the way of that car. He shouldn't have, but he did. As a result, I was sitting in a waiting room while he was dying.

I didn't know what to do or think. Griffin could die, and it would be my fault. There was nothing I could do to help him. That seemed to be a common theme between us. He constantly helped me, but I couldn't the same thing in return. I shut my eyes and rested my head against the cool tile wall behind me. It did nothing to calm my nerves, but I didn't care.

At some point, I dozed off. When I woke up again, I was met with brilliant blue eyes. The glow was a bit too bright, but I ignored that for the time being. The woman in front of me was a Reaper, so she had information about Griffin. I sat up straighter, suppressing a yawn.