Wrong Turn

Wrong Turn
Emily’s POV
I sat stiffly in the back seat of the car, my hands clenched so tightly in my lap that my nails dug into my palms. My heartbeat thudded in my ears, wild and frantic, matching the turmoil in my chest. Every fibre of my being screamed that this was wrong. Leaving Jason now... when everything was spiralling... felt like a betrayal, like running from a battlefield and leaving him exposed.
He told you to leave. The voice in my head was sharp, slicing through the chaos like a cruel reminder. He wanted this. He pushed you away.
But it didn’t matter how much sense that voice made. It didn’t matter that Jason had insisted, his words cold and final, a dismissal wrapped in steel. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t just his way of protecting me... it was his way of carrying everything alone, just like he always did.
Jason had always been a mystery wrapped in contradictions. He was the kind of man who could hold you close and shut you out at the same time. Just when I thought I understood him, just when I started to believe I could see past the walls he’d built, he would do something or say something that turned everything on its head.
And now, as the car sped down the highway, the distance between us growing with every passing mile, I felt the weight of Jason’s unpredictability like never before. What was he thinking? What was he feeling? The Jason I thought I knew... the one who would fight tooth and nail to keep me by his side would never send me away, especially not now. But this Jason... the one who had looked at me with cold, distant eyes and told me to leave... felt like a stranger.
I turned my gaze to the window, catching my reflection.
Just wait until tomorrow, I told myself. He is just overwhelmed. He’ll call. He’ll tell you to come back to the hospital, to be by his side.
It was a fragile hope, but the only thing keeping me from falling apart entirely.

The ride back home felt agonisingly long, each mile stretching into eternity as the car veered onto a deserted highway. The trees on either side of the road loomed like silent sentinels, their shadows twisting in the dim light. The air in the car grew heavier, suffocating, as though the weight of the world had settled in the small, confined space.
I frowned, a knot of unease tightening in my chest. This wasn’t the usual route. I turned to the driver, my voice rising, breaking the uneasy silence. “Are we on the right track? This isn’t the way to the house.”
The driver didn’t respond immediately. His hands gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, and his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, meeting mine for a fleeting, unnerving moment. There was something in his gaze, something I couldn’t place, but it sent an ice-cold shiver down my spine.
“Answer me,” I demanded, my tone sharper now, trying to mask the growing dread creeping up my spine.
He hesitated before finally speaking, his voice low and strained. “I’m sorry, Miss. I’m just following orders.”
My breath hitched, my pulse thundering in my ears. “Whose orders?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound steady. My mind raced, wondering if Jason had sent someone after me, or if something far worse was unfolding.
But before he could respond, the car screeched to a violent halt. The tyres slipped against the road with a deafening screech, sending the vehicle skidding sideways. The sudden impact threw me forward, slamming me against the back of the front seat. Pain exploded in my forehead as it struck the edge of the headrest, sending a sharp, dizzying jolt through my skull. I gasped for air, vision swimming in and out of focus.
Disoriented, I blinked rapidly, trying to steady my blurred vision. “What is wrong with you?” I tried to scold the driver, my voice shaky with anger and confusion. But as my gaze shifted, something outside the car caught my eye, a sight that froze the blood in my veins.
Several masked, armed men stood in front of the car, their dark silhouettes cutting through the dimming light like shadows of death. Their guns gleamed coldly, pointed directly at us, sending a shiver through my entire body.
I couldn’t breathe. The air was thick with fear. This couldn’t be happening.
Panic surged through me as the two men who were with me scrambled to defend us. But it was hopeless. They were gunned down in an instant, their bodies crumpling to the ground with sickening thuds. I recoiled, unable to tear my eyes away, my throat tight with the sound of my breath, shallow and jagged. I lowered myself instinctively, pressing my hands to my ears, trying to block out the horrific sounds, shivering uncontrollably. I squeezed my eyes shut, desperate to muffle my scream, praying that if I stayed out of sight, maybe they would leave.
But the silence that followed was worse. It felt like an eternity, the weight of it crushing my chest, leaving me gasping for breath, each second a drop of dread that filled me to the brim. And then, with a sudden, sharp jerk, the door to my side of the car flew open.
Before I could even react, I was yanked violently from the seat, my body slammed against the cold, unforgiving night. I cried out in shock, panic surging as I struggled against the grip that held me, my limbs fighting to break free.
Every muscle screamed for escape as I fought back, my hands hitting, fingers seeking a way on anything that would help me get away. In a desperate move, I bit the man who held me, feeling the sharp sting of his flesh between my teeth. I felt the warm rush of blood, a bitter, metallic taste flooding my mouth.
I tried to make a run for it, but a blow to the back of my head sent a shock of pain through my skull, blurring everything around me. The world tilted, spinning faster than I could comprehend, and my vision darkened, the edges of my awareness beginning to fade.
That was the last thing I could remember before everything went black.