Between Life and Death
817 Words
The moment Lucas and Damein realized Maya had fallen, panic took over.
"Get the car!" Lucas shouted, already running toward his vehicle.
Damein didn't argue. Within seconds they were back in their cars, engines roaring to life as they sped toward the narrow road that curved down the side of the cliff. The path was dangerous, barely wide enough for vehicles, but neither of them cared.
All that mattered was Maya.
Lucas's grip tightened on the steering wheel as his heart pounded violently in his chest. His mind kept replaying the same image Maya's body falling into the fog.
"No... no, Maya... please hold on," he muttered under his breath.
Damein followed closely behind, his own thoughts chaotic and filled with dread. The possibility of losing Maya felt unbearable.
They reached the lower path near the rocks where waves crashed violently against the shore. By the time they arrived, emergency responders had already gathered. They arrived immediately after Damein called to report a gunshot which he requested.
Lucas slammed the brakes and jumped out of the car before the engine had even fully stopped.
Several search team members were already gathered near the waterline.
And there was Maya. Her body had been found.
Two rescuers carefully lifted her onto a stretcher, strapping her down as paramedics rushed toward the waiting ambulance.
Lucas's heart nearly stopped.
"MAYA!" he shouted, sprinting toward her.
Her face was pale, her clothes soaked and stained, a dark patch of blood spreading across her shoulder where the bullet had struck.
The sight nearly shattered him.
"Maya... Maya!" Lucas said desperately as he reached her side.
For a brief second her eyelids fluttered.
She woke up But something was wrong.
Her eyes were open, yet she wasn't responding.
"Maya... " It's me," Lucas said urgently, gripping the side of the stretcher.
She stared ahead blankly, breathing weakly, as if struggling to remain conscious.
A paramedic quickly stepped forward.
"Excuse me," the paramedic asked firmly, "who is her husband?"
Lucas froze.
For a brief moment, he wanted to say it was him But he couldn't.
Before he could speak, Damein stepped forward.
"I am," Damein said quickly.
The paramedic nodded. "You need to come with us."
Damein climbed into the ambulance beside Maya, sitting near her head as the medical team began preparing emergency equipment.
Lucas stepped back slowly.
His chest felt tight as the ambulance doors slammed shut.
Inside, Damein looked down at Maya, his expression filled with worry.
"Stay with me, Maya," he whispered softly.
The ambulance engine roared to life. Lucas watched silently as the vehicle began driving away, carrying Maya toward the hospital.
The distance between them suddenly felt unbearable.
Behind him, the sound of footsteps approached.
Lucas turned sharply.
Sophie.
She had walked down from the car and now stood a few feet away, watching the scene unfold.
"At least the body was found," she said coldly.
Lucas's eyes darkened instantly Anger surged through him like wildfire He took a step toward her, his fists clenching tightly.
"Listen carefully," Lucas said in a dangerously calm voice.
Sophie smirked slightly.
"I am not calling the police," Lucas continued slowly, his voice filled with restrained fury, "only because your gun wasn't loaded... and I didn't see you shoot."
His gaze burned into her. "But if I find out you had anything to do with this..."
His voice dropped lower. "You are done for."
For a moment, Sophie said nothing.
Lucas held her gaze for one final second before turning away.
He climbed into his car and slammed the door shut The engine started immediately.
Without another word, he drove off, speeding down the road toward the hospital.
Sophie stood there alone, the wind from the ocean whipping through her hair.
Her expression slowly twisted with anger.
Her eyes moved to the phone she was hiding, the same phone Maya had used to show the video evidence earlier.
She stared at the screen.
For a moment, her face hardened.
"That evidence..." she muttered quietly.
Her grip tightened. "Well... it dies with you, Maya Bennett."
With sudden rage, she hurled the phone onto the rocky ground.
CRACK.
The screen shattered instantly. Not satisfied, she lifted her heel and slammed it down onto the phone again and again until the device was completely destroyed.
Fragments of glass were scattered across the gravel.
Sophie exhaled slowly.
Her breathing steadied.
For a moment, she stared at the broken pieces beneath her feet.
Then a faint smile returned to her lips.
Because as far as she was concerned...
Maya Bennett was as good as dead.
And the only thing that could destroy her was now gone.
Sophie turned and walked back toward the road, disappearing into the fog as the waves crashed endlessly against the rocks below.
Far away, the ambulance siren echoed faintly in the distance.
And inside that ambulance...
Maya Bennett was fighting for her life.
- Writer
