Chapter 6 - The Crushed Vials
The sound of the shattering glass echoed like a gunshot in the silent ravine.
The glowing blue liquid quickly seeped into the dark, muddy earth.
Daniel laughed, a cold and hollow sound that chilled me to the bone.
He told me I was incredibly naive to believe he would leave any loose ends.
The woman dispatcher stood at the top of the ridge, aiming her flashlight down at us.
She yelled at Daniel to hurry up so they could leave before the storm rolled in.
Daniel tipped an imaginary hat to me and began climbing back up the muddy hill.
I collapsed onto my knees beside the broken glass, sobbing uncontrollably.
I desperately scraped at the mud, trying to salvage even a single drop of the cure.
It was completely useless.
My chest tightened painfully, and every breath felt like inhaling shattered glass.
I crawled back under the tree roots to hold Noah during his final moments.
I pulled him tightly against my chest and whispered how much I loved him.
Noah's breathing was impossibly faint, and his skin was cold to the touch.
I closed my eyes, waiting for the darkness to finally take us both.
Suddenly, I felt a weak, trembling hand reach up and touch my cheek.
Noah's eyes fluttered open, looking directly into mine with surprising clarity.
He whispered that his stomach did not hurt anymore.
I stared at him in utter disbelief, unable to process what was happening.
Noah slowly reached into the front pocket of his jeans.
He pulled out a single, perfectly intact glass vial filled with glowing blue liquid.
He told me he had pickpocketed Daniel in the kitchen right before I called 911.
He said he already drank half of it while I was distracted by the broken glass outside.
Noah handed me the vial, revealing there was exactly enough left to save my life.
May you like
Before I could drink it, a blinding flashlight beam cut through the tree roots.
The woman dispatcher was standing directly above us with her pistol aimed at my head.
