Chapter 4: A World Without You
1340 Words
POV: Elena Carter
The apartment was unusually quiet.
Elena glanced at the clock hanging above the kitchen doorway.
8:17 pm
She frowned.
Vivian was late.
Again.
Normally, Elena wouldn't have worried, rain had a way of turning Riverdale’s traffic into a nightmare.
But tonight…
Something didn't feel right.
She shook the thought away.
“You're overthinking,” she told herself.
Vivian had probably missed the first bus.
She always texted whenever that happened.
Elena picked up her phone from the dinning table and opened their conversation.
The last message still there.
Viv: I promise.
A small smile tugged at Elena's lips.
She could almost hear Vivian’s voice saying those words.
“Promises, promises….” She muttered.
Closing the chat, she walked into the kitchen.
The pot of vegetable soup still rested on the stove, exactly where she'd left it an hour ago.
She lifted the lid.
Still warm.
Good.
She turned the burner back on and stirred it gently.
The aroma filled the apartment.
Vivian’s favorite.
She arranged two bowls on the dinning table.
Two spoons.
Two glasses of water.
Everything exactly the way Vivian liked it.
Then she sat down to wait.
The rain continued to fall outside.
Heavy drops tapped against the window like impatient fingers.
Elena checked the time again.
8:46 pm
She picked up her phone.
No messages.
She dialed Vivian’s number.
The phone rang.
Once,
Twice,
Three times.
No answer.
“It must be noisy.”
She ended the call before voicemail answered.
Vivian sometimes couldn't hear her phone inside the crowded buses.
There was nothing strange about that.
Nothing at all.
Still…
An uneasy feeling settled deep inside Elena’s chest.
The clock struck 9:00 pm.
Still no Vivian.
Elena stood by the living room window, peering through the rain.
Every passing figure made her heart jump.
Every pair of headlights slowed her breathing for a moment.
Only to disappoint her again.
“Come on Viv…”
She whispered.
Her phone buzzed suddenly.
Elena grabbed it so quickly it almost slipped from her hand.
Her smile faded.
Unknown number.
She answered immediately.
“Hello?”
Silence…
“... Hello?”
Nothing.
The call disconnected.
She stared at the screen.
“Wrong number.”
By passed nine…
The soup had gone cold again.
Elena sighed and carried the pot back to the stove.
“This is the third time,” she mumbled.
“You owe me, Viv.”
She reheated it carefully.
Outside…..
A police vehicle slowly turned to their street.
It's flash lights reflected faintly against the rain soaked road.
Elena didn't notice.
She was too busy imagining tomorrow, and her surprise for Vivian.
A sharp knock echoed through the apartment.
Three knocks.
Elena looked towards the door.
Finally.
She laughed to herself.
“Took you long enough.”
She unlocked the door with a smile already forming.
“Viv, you're never going to believe…..”
The words died in her throat.
Standing outside were two uniformed police officers.
A middle–aged woman.
And a young man holding a rain–soaked notebook.
Neither of them smiled.
The older officer removed her cap.
Her expression was heavy.
“Good evening.”
Elena blinked.
“Yes?”
“Are you Elena Carter?”
“... Yes.”
The officer exchange a brief glance with her colleague.
Then looked backed at her.
“May we come in?”
Elena stepped aside, her heart pounding.
“ Please… come in.”
The officer entered quietly, removing their rain soaked caps.
The older officer looked around the modest apartment before her eyes settled on the dining table.
Her expression grew heavier.
“Miss Carter,” she began gently.
“Is Vivian Carter your sister?”
Elena nodded.
“Yes she is… is something wrong?”
No one answered immediately.
Her pulse quickened.
“Please,” she whispered, “you're scaring me.”
The female officer took a careful step forward.
“There was a road traffic accident this evening.”
Elena frowned.
“... What?”
“Your sister was involved.”
“Oh…”
“Is that all?”
“I knew she'd probably miss the bus because of the rain.”
The officers exchanged another glance.
Elena's smile slowly disappeared.
“ She's…. okay right?”
No one spoke.
Her breathing became uneven.
“Right?”
The older police officer lowered her eyes.
“I'm sorry.”
“She sustained critical injuries.”
“We need you to come with us to Riverdale General Hospital.”
“There must be a mistake.”
“There isn't.”
“No.”
She shook her head repeatedly.
“My sister texted me.”
She promised she'd come home.
“Miss Carter…”
“No!”
“You're talking about someone else.”
Her voice broke.
The female officer gently reached for her arm.
“We'll take you to her.”
Elena snatched her arm away.
“I'll go myself.”
She rushed into her bedroom, grabbed her hoodie and phone, then hurried back towards the door.
The journey to the hospital felt endless.
Elena sat in the back sit of the police car, clutching her phone so tightly her fingers ached.
She called Vivian again.
No answer.
She sends message.
Lena: where are you?
I'm at the hospital please answer me.
The message delivered.
But there was no reply.
Tear blurred her vision.
She quickly wiped them away.
“No…”
She mumured.
“You don't get to leave me.”
Not after all the promises we made.
The older police turned towards her.
“We're here.”
Elena nodded weakly.
But her legs refused to move.
The automatic door slid open.
The sharp scent of antiseptic filled Elena's lungs.
Doctors and nurses hurried past, their footsteps echoing through the brightly lit hallway.
Everything felt unreal.
The older police officer gently guided her towards the reception desk.
A nurse looked up.
“Miss Elena Carter?”
Elena nodded.
“I'm here to see my sister.”
The nurse's expression softened.
“Please come with me.
Those four words made Elena’s stomach twist.
She followed the nurse down a long corridor.
Evey step felt heavier than the last.
Finally they stopped outside a room.
The nurse slowly pushed the door open.
“I'm sorry” she whispered.
Elena frowned.
“Why are you apologizing?”
No one answered.
She stepped inside.
The room was quite.
Too quiet.
A single bed stood in the center.
Someone lay beneath a white sheet.
Only a pair of still hands rested outside the blanket.
Hands Elena knew better than her own.
She laughed nervously.
“No..”
Her voice barely came out.
“This isn't funny.”
She walked closer.
“Viv?”
Nothing.
“Come on…”
She forced another smile.
“You scared me enough already.”
Still nothing.
With trembling fingers, Elena reached for the edge of the sheet.
Her hand stopped halfway.
She couldn't do it.
If she didn't lift it..
Maybe none of this was real.
Maybe Vivian would suddenly sit up and laugh.
“Got you.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“No…”
Slowly…
Painfully…
She pulled the sheet down.
Vivian's face came into view.
Peaceful.
Motionless.
A small cut rested on her forehead.
Her lip had lost their color.
She looked as though she were sleeping.
Elena stared.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
She didn't cry, she couldn't.
Her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.
“No…”
She reached out and touched Vivian's cheek.
Cold.
Ice cold.
Elena snatched her hand.
“You're cold.”
“You always complain when the room is too cold.”
She rubbed Vivian's hand between hers.
“See?”
“I'm warming you up.”
“You'll be fine.”
No response.
The silence was unbearable.
“Viv…”
Her voice cracked.
“You promised.”
The tears finally came.
One after another. Then all at once.
She collapsed beside the bed, clutching Vivian's lifeless hand.
“You promised you wouldn't leave me.”
“You promised!”
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