Cheating Death – Chapter 3

By MyNameIsCAL

"I'll be right back," Max said, getting into the car. "Do you need anything?"

I shook my head. "Just some soda."

She smiled. "I'll drop the groceries off at Iggy's and then bring our stuff home. Dinner after?"

"Absolutely."

I watched her drive away and just as she reached the intersection…CRASH!

"MAX!" I started to run towards the flames. "MAX! NOO!"

"Fang!" Max shook me awake. "Wake up, it's just a dream."

She pulled me against her, ready for the tears to come. I rested my head against her shoulder, my eyes closed.

"It's okay," she whispered, patting my back.

I shook against her, tears flowing now. Her arms came around me, trying to comfort me. Sometime later, I lay back down and she pulled the blankets back over us. It was three in the morning now. Max's head rested against my chest, but I didn't go back to sleep. Seeing that kind of stuff when I was conscious seemed a lot less real than when I was asleep.

"Iggy and Nudge need food," Max frowned. "I'll only be an hour."

"No," I protested. "My dream…"

"It was just a dream," she insisted.

"Then I'm coming with you," I proclaimed.

We got into the car and I anxiously started to talk to Angel in my head.

Going with Max, will it work? I inquired.

It was a long time before Angel answered. If by work you mean Max and you will survive to see another day, then yes, it will.

I don't understand.

You will soon enough, Angel seemed to be sighing.

And then she stopped answering my questions, leaving me to hold my breath as we approached the intersection.

Things suddenly flashed before my eyes. I had only a second to react to what I saw.

"What the hell are you doing?" Max screamed as I grabbed the wheel, veering the car sharply to the left.

The impact from the other car seemed to happen in slow motion, and then things suddenly sped up like in a movie. Max was screaming my name, her hand gripping my arm, but I couldn't comprehend what she was saying. There were sirens in the distance.

"I'll be fine," I said, almost dreamily, as Max started to beg me to stay conscious.

I awoke in a hospital room, Max sitting on the couch next to Iggy and Nudge. My leg was throbbing. Pain had never been this bad before.

It'll all heal in a few days or so, Angel assured me.

Is this what you meant before? I replied. That I was going to get hurt in order to save Max?

That's part of it. But there's still more for you to find out.

Why can't you tell me?

Because right now, you wouldn't be able to handle it.

I sort of felt insulted by that, but now Max and them noticed I was awake. She was at my bedside as soon as I blinked.

"I told you I'd be fine," I murmured.

She gave me a small smile, her eyes teary. "Maybe we should have stayed home."

I shook my head. "There was no way of knowing."

Max bent down and kissed my forehead. "I'm going to get some food from the cafeteria. Do you want anything?"

"Maybe some water," I told her.

She nodded and left me with Iggy and Nudge.

"You knew, didn't you?" Iggy whispered, his eyes somehow finding me.

"I could have prevented any of this from happening, but Max insisted she needed to get your groceries to you," I sighed. "I figured if I went, things would turn out differently instead of a mass explosion like what I saw in my dream. I guess it worked out, in a sense that none of us got blown up."

Iggy grimaced. "Yeah, lucky you."

"He is lucky!" Nudge exclaimed. "His leg could have been impaled in some important place! And it just missed everything important. What are the chances?"

I closed my eyes. "Enough. Does it matter anymore?"

The fell silent.

"I'm sorry you didn't get your food," I said after a while.

Iggy laughed, but only because if he didn't laugh, we'd all breakdown.

Being stuck in bed left me with little control over Max, but thankfully, she kept me company. She sat next to me as we watched TV. The crash had made the local news.

"At least they didn't get the part when they cut you out of the car. All that blood made me sick," Max said, taking my hand.

"Oh no, the car…" I realized I hadn't even thought about what happened to the car.

"It's alright, we'll get a new one," Max assured me. "Something nicer maybe."

It didn't take long for Max to fall asleep. But I lay away for the longest time hoping this was the worse and that it would get before.

Of course, I was wrong.

Thanks for reading!