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“Come on, Z, you can’t leave your sister hanging.” Mom laughs, shaking her head.
“Are we almost to the park?” I groan, wishing we were out of the car. I roll my window down to let the air in. I’ve always had really bad car sickness so the wind on my face helps with that a bit.
We’ve only been driving maybe twenty minutes, but still, I’m ready to be outside. It’s been raining for two weeks straight so today’s been the only nice day we’ve really had. Mom and Dad decided to take us to the giant park across the city so we could get some fresh air.
Dad looks back at me and gives me a smile. “We’ll be there in about ten minutes, Z.” He laughs lightly.
Just as he turns his head back around to the road, my mother is frantically yelling. Both Zoe and I startle at her screams, but everything happens so fast. A large red truck is in our lane and heading toward us fast. We’re on a bridge so there’s no place for us to go.
My father slams on the brakes and jerks the wheel of our beat-up Honda to the right, trying to avoid the truck as much as possible, but instead our car fishtails into the metal barrier and rams over the edge.
The sound of metal scraping against the car fills my head. I can hear Zoe crying hysterically and I look over at her red splotchy face. It feels like I’m not in my own body right now. Everything is chaotic, but it feels like time is moving in slow motion. I grab ahold of Zoe’s hand, squeezing it as hard as I can to let her know I’m here with her.
Her raven black hair floats around her head as we’re jerked forward in the car. I can hear my parents yelling, maybe screaming, I’m not sure.
I can hear my dad saying my name, but it’s like I can’t speak. A cold sensation hits my legs, pulling me out of my trance, and I realize the car is quickly filling with water.
“Zamira! Listen to me. Get your sister out. Go, now!” He tries to unbuckle his own seatbelt, but it’s jammed. I look over to my mom and her head is resting against the window, unmoving. “Now!” he yells.
Water is quickly spilling into my open window and before I know it, the car is almost completely filled with water. I take one last breath and unbuckle my seatbelt.
I move over to Zoe who is looking at me frantically as she holds her breath. I unbuckle her seatbelt and pull on her arm so we can swim out the window, but I’m pulled back.
I try to pull her again, but she’s not moving.
Her pink dress that she insisted on wearing is stuck in the car door. My lungs are burning, and I know I won’t be able to make it much longer. Panic fills my entire body, but I refuse to give up. I pull and pull on her dress, but I can’t get it unstuck. I try to push the door open, but the pressure is too much to get it to move. I can’t slip her dress off her given the angle we’re in, and I’m not strong enough to tear it from her body.
Zoe’s eyes are no longer open and bubbles escape her mouth. Her body limply hangs in the water, no longer filled with her energy tugging at me.
No. No. Dear god, someone help me. A sob tries to escape me, but I can’t let it out. I’ll drown here if I do.
Something hits my arm and I look up. My dad’s piercing blue eyes are begging me to get out of there. I shake my head, refusing to leave until I can help them. I look at both Zoe and my mom who look lifeless. Dad pulls my attention back to him and mouths, “Go!”
My lungs can't handle anymore. I take one last look at my beautiful family. My dad mouths that he loves me as I swim out of the window. A sob lodges in my throat and I start sucking in water, causing me to become even more frantic.
I’m not a great swimmer. I’ve never had lessons before, but I finally made it to the surface, gasping for air. A man dives into the water and pulls me to the shore, but I wish I would have never made it up. My entire family is gone, and I couldn’t save them.
Everything is crashingin my mind right now about my family and how much I fucking hate the water. I never learned how to properly swim because of my fear.
I barely even noticed that Ace set me down on the diving board that only sits about three feet above the water.
How could they know?I’m sure they were able to find an article about the accident, but how did they know I’m afraid of the water? Matt is the only person I’ve confessed this to. No one else knows.
If they were unsure about my fear before, they sure know now. I can’t control my breathing. My chest heaves out of control as I become more aware of my surroundings.
“We’re going to play a little game. You’ll take a step backward for every question you don’t answer. If you answer the question, you get to stay put,” Ace says in a menacing tone as he stands in front of me on the board with his hand fisted in my hair. He pulls my head back so I’m forced to look into his piercing green eyes.
“And if I refuse?” I ask hesitantly as I try to rip my head out of his grasp, but I can’t move too much or I’ll lose my balance and fall.
With his free hand, he pulls out a gun from the back of his jeans. He releases my hair and cocks the gun, pressing the cold metal barrel to my forehead. “Agent Stone, I don’t think you’re in the position to be negotiating right now.” He digs the barrel further into my skin as he chuckles lightly. “It’s either you move for every question you don’t answer or you lie about it, or I start to shoot you in random body parts until we turn the pool the color of your blood. What will it be?”
My words are lodged in my throat.
“We could always use a knife instead? Maybe a slice to each important tendon for every question she doesn’t answer? I heard the Achilles tendon hurts like a bitch when it’s severed through,” Theon shouts from somewhere beside us. I can’t see him because Ace still holds the gun to my head halting my movements. I know Theon fucking hates me, but that was cold. Funny how the most words he’s ever spoken in my presence are about how to properly torture me.
“I like that idea. Hmm, maybe we can do both? What do you say, Blais? You want to play with your knives tonight?” Ace says like he’s asking Blais what kind of condiments he’d like on a burger.
“Sure,” Blais’ tone is mellow, almost too somber to be enjoying this. Okay, so maybe they aren’t all against me? Maybe Blais will help me.
