Chapter 3: The only one left
1223 Words
Darkness.
That was all Emma could see.
A heavy endless darkness that seems to last long.
Emma tried raising her body, but the sharp pain she felt was unbearable.
Somewhere far away, she heard voices.
Muffled.
Unclear.
Like echoes beneath water.
A small whimper escaped her lips.
Then everything went dark again.
The next time Emma opened her eyes, a bright shining light blinded her.
She immediately shut them.
A strange beeping sound filled the room.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Her head hurt.
Her body hurt.
Everything hurts.
Slowly, she opened her eyes again.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
The white ceiling above her felt unfamiliar.
White.
Cold.
Silent.
A hospital.
She looked confused.
What happened?
Why was she here?
Where are her parents?
Where is Ethan?
So many questions flash through her mind.
Then her memory returns.
The car.
The rain.
The bridge.
Her father’s terrified voice.
Her mother’s scream.
The crash.
Her breathing quickened.
She tried sitting up, but an unbearable sharp pain shot through her body.
“Easy sweetheart.”
A gentle female voice spoke nearby.
Emma looked up.
A nurse hurried towards her bed.
“You’re awake,” she said.
Relief flooded her face.
Emma stared at her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then the question slipped through her lips.
“Where is my mommy?”
“Where is my daddy?”
“Where is Ethan?”
The nurse froze.
“Your doctor will be here soon,” she said.
Emma frowned.
The nurse glanced away.
“I said where is my mommy?” Emma screamed.
No answer.
Just silence.
The kind of silence children are not supposed to understand.
But somehow, Emma did.
A fear worse than pain settled inside her heart.
A few minutes later, a doctor walked into the room.
His expression was kind.
Too kind.
Emma hated it immediately.
Adults only looked like that when something bad had happened.
“Hello, Emma.”
She didn’t respond.
“How are you feeling today?”
“My mother.”
“My family.”
“Where are they?”
The words came out desperately.
The doctor inhaled slowly.
Emma noticed.
Some part of her already knew the answer.
“Emma….” the doctor called.
Her heart sank.
“Your family was involved in a fatal accident.”
“I know…I know…but where are they?” She said immediately.
The beeping machines grew louder.
“They sustained major injuries.”
“The rescue team did everything they could.”
Emma shook her head.
“No…no…no,” she cried.
The doctor continued.
“I’m sorry, but your brother and your parents didn’t survive.”
Her world stopped.
Completely.
No sound.
No movement.
Nothing.
Emma stared at him again.
Waiting for him to laugh.
Waiting for him to say it was a prank.
Waiting for him to say it was a joke.
Waiting for someone to tell her they were mistaken.
Waiting for someone to wake her up from this terrible nightmare.
But nobody did.
The doctor lowered his eyes.
The nurse began crying quietly.
And Emma realized the truth.
Her mother was gone.
Her father was gone.
Ethan was gone.
Gone.
Gone forever.
A scream tore from her throat.
Hours later, Emma sat curled beneath a hospital blanket.
She hadn’t stopped crying.
She couldn’t stop crying.
Not really.
Sometimes the tears slowed.
Then another memory would appear.
Her mother’s smile.
Her father’s laugh.
Ethan teasing her.
And the tears would return.
No amount of crying felt enough.
Nothing felt real.
Suddenly a knock sounded at the door.
Emma didn’t look up.
The door opened.
Footsteps approached.
Then arms wrapped around her.
Tight.
Protective.
Familiar.
“Emma.”
Victoria.
Her aunt’s voice cracked with emotion.
“I am so sorry.”
Emma finally looked up.
Victoria’s eyes were red.
Tear-stained.
She looked completely heartbroken.
At least that’s how she appeared.
Beside her stood Marcus.
His expression was equally mournful.
The perfect grieving relatives.
Victoria pulled Emma closer.
“You are not alone.”
Emma buried her face in her aunt’s shoulder.
For the first time since waking up, she felt something close to comfort.
Not safety.
Not peace.
Just comfort.
A place to collapse beneath the weight of her grief.
Victoria stroked her hair.
“We’re going to take care of you.”
Emma nodded weakly.
She didn’t know what else to do.
Everyone she loved was gone.
Victoria and Marcus were all she had left.
Later that evening, after Emma had finally fallen asleep, two nurses stood near the station outside her room.
One glanced toward the closed door.
“Poor child.”
The other nodded.
“I can’t imagine losing everyone like that.”
The first nurse lowered her voice.
“Something about this case doesn’t sit right with me.”
Her colleague frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“The accident.”
“What about it?”
The nurse looked around before speaking.
“The rescue team mentioned something strange.”
A chill crept into her voice.
“They said the brake lines looked damaged before impact.”
The second nurse’s eyes widened.
“You think someone tampered with them?”
“I don’t know.”
She shook her head.
“But accidents like that don’t just happen right?”
Neither woman noticed the figure standing at the end of the hallway.
Hidden in the shadows.
Listening.
Watching.
The figure remained motionless for several seconds.
Then quietly turned and disappeared around the corner.
The following morning, Emma sat by the hospital window.
The rain had stopped.
Sunlight filled the city.
People walked the streets.
Cars moved normally.
The world continued as if nothing had happened.
As if her family had never existed.
As if her heart hadn’t shattered.
A soft knock sounded.
She turned.
Victoria stood at the doorway.
Smiling sadly.
“We can leave today.”
Emma looked down.
Leave.
The word felt strange.
“Where will I go?”
Victoria’s smile widened.
To anyone else, it would have looked loving.
Comforting.
Maternal.
“You’ll come live with us.”
Emma nodded slowly.
She had nowhere else to go.
No one else to stay with.
Victoria stepped forward and took her hand.
A gesture that seemed kind.
But something about it felt oddly cold.
Almost possessive.
Emma couldn’t explain why.
She was only eight years old.
And grief made everything confusing.
So she ignored the feeling.
The small warning buried deep inside her chest.
The one telling her something wasn’t right.
That night, after Emma had been discharged and taken to the Hart residence, Victoria sat alone in her study.
The house was silent.
Marcus entered and closed the door behind him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Marcus poured himself a drink.
“She suspects nothing.”
Victoria stared out the window.
“No.”
“Good.”
The room fell silent.
Marcus took a sip.
Then another.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“The company lawyers called.”
Victoria finally turned toward him.
“What did they say?”
Marcus raised his glass.
“The transfer process has already started.”
Victoria’s eyes gleamed.
Years of envy.
Years of resentment.
Years of waiting.
All beginning to pay off.
Far upstairs, Emma cried herself to sleep.
Completely unaware that the people pretending to save her life…
were the very people who had destroyed it.
- Writer
