Page 82 of Chase Our Forever

My eyes meet Cade’s. “Want to head out?”

I nod, terrified of what I’ll find but desperate to find Liv safe and hopefully unharmed.

“We’ve got to find my girl, man,” I tell him, my voice cracking. I refuse to acknowledge what would happen if we go out and she still doesn’t show up.

Cade gives me a reassuring smile. “We will. Let’s go.”

I follow him out the door, hoping he’s right and hoping that wherever she is, the woman I love is okay.

49

LIV

A small moanfalls from my lips as I’m pulled from a deep darkness. I rock my head from side to side, my head pounding with the movement. My eyelids flutter open as I take in my surroundings. I close my eyes from the pain overtaking me as I try to figure out where I’m at and what happened.

I didn’t know it was possible to be this cold. My entire body aches right down to my bones. I slowly peel my eyes open and press my ice-cold fingers to my forehead, wondering why pain radiates from a spot above my eyebrow. When I pull my fingers away from my skin, I find them glistening with my own blood.

“Oh god.” I hate blood, and the amount coating my fingers tells me that I need to get it checked out soon. I close my eyes for a minute, trying to figure out how I got here.

Memories of what happened crash through my mind. The snow. The deer. The ditch. The tree. It all hits me at once. I’ve been in an accident, and judging by the broken glass everywhere and the rough airbags scratching against my face, it was a pretty bad one.

I try to move, but it hurts everywhere, even just to lift my arm even slightly. I wince, fighting through the pain as I reach for my phone, which sits in the passenger seat. It takes a couple of tries,but I finally manage to grab it despite the sharp pain shooting up my arm from the movement.

A cry of frustration leaves my lips as I find the screen completely shattered. It’s dead and now broken, and I have no way of calling for help or reaching anyone.

I need to reach out to Dean and let him know I’m okay.I know if he’s made it home and not found me there, he’s worried. The last thing I want is for him to be panicking.

I’m stranded in the freezing cold in the middle of nowhere, and I have no idea how long I’d been passed out after the accident.

I let out a loud groan as my eyes travel around my car. The only light that illuminates my surroundings is from my one headlight that’s still working.

A shiver runs through my body as my mind races with what to do. I can barely feel my fingers as I attempt to get my seat belt unbuckled. A strong gust of wind blows snow in my face and makes my cheeks burn. It takes a few tries, but finally, I’m able to get the seat belt undone, even as I almost pass out from how much it hurts to move.

The moment I’m free, I suck in a deep breath. The strap had been so tight against my chest I felt like I could hardly breathe, but now that it’s undone, it feels like I can bring slightly more air into my lungs.

God, it’s so cold. I know I won’t last long out here. I have to find a way to get to the road and, hopefully, flag someone down for help. The cold wind is getting more brutal by the second, and the broken windows and shattered windshield do nothing to shield me from it.

My achy muscles protest as I reach for the handle of my door. I push my shoulder into it, trying to force the door open, but it doesn’t budge.

Can anything go my way right now?

I put my hands in front of my mouth and blow on them to try and warm up. It doesn’t work well. They feel numb, making it hard to really move them at all. I try the handle a few more times before my hands drop to my sides. With one last failed attempt at opening the car door, I realize I’ll have to come up with another way out of the car. I look around before realizing the only way out is through the broken car window.

I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to muster the courage to even move at all. All I want to do is stay in the car and wait for someone to find me.

But no one’s going to find me here. My car flew off the road and down a steep embankment. There wasn’t even a guardrail or anything my car broke through to indicate an accident even happened. Anyone driving the road would have no idea I’m down here. The snow falls so fast I’m sure even my tire tracks are covered at this point.

As much as it terrifies me to accept it, no one’s coming to save me. I’m going to have to save myself. There’s no other option. I have to get back to Dean and to Clara.

I let out a shaky breath as I talk myself into getting out of the car. It’s going to hurt, and I didn’t know it was possible to feel cold down to my bones, but I have no choice but to be brave right now.

I need to be brave for Dean. For Clara. They’re my family, and they have to know I’m okay.

It feels like my body is on fire as I begin to crawl out. I try to keep my breaths steady, even as everything hurts. I don’t know if it’s from the crash or the intensity of the cold, but whatever it is makes me let out a cry of pain for no one to hear but me and the surrounding trees.

Slowly, I make my way out of the car before dropping to the ground next to it. The rapidly falling snow is making it hard to see, but at least it helps break my fall. I lie on the ground for afew moments to gather up the willpower to make it to the road in search of help.

“You can do this,” I repeat to myself over and over. The biggest reason I get up despite the pain is because I need to get to Dean. Ineedhim to know that I’m okay.

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