Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

I could feel my own eyes widening in shock, pupils expanding in stark fear as the car headlights bounced off the silhouette of a tall man standing in the middle of the road. The car swerved to avoid him as Dad jerked the steering wheel to the right. The painted lines blurred as we launched off the road and careened down a ditch, feeling every bump and jolt. I could hear my mom screaming in the front seat. All I could focus on was the old oak tree we were heading towards at full speed.

Mom glanced back at me with terrified hopelessness in her bright gaze, just before a loud, crunching noise filled my ears. The last thing I could remember was my head slamming against the side window and seeing the spiderweb cracks in the broken glass smeared with blood. My blood.

That was the day I lost everything, including myself.

Every bit of loss and pain came back as the memories surfaced, causing me to gasp out loud as I drew in deep, shaking breaths. My eyes popped open, frantically scanning my surroundings.

I wasn’t in the car crash with my parents. I wasn’t screaming, or looking into my mother’s haunted eyes. It was only a dream, reserved for me every single night on repeat. I wished it was only a nightmare from my past instead of reality.

It took a minute for my head to clear and for it to all come back as I stared at the faded grey seat in front of me, listening to the soft sound of crickets coming through the open windows. There was a cool breeze flowing over my cheeks. Why is it so quiet? Where am I…and why do I feel like there should be screaming?

It came barreling back at once. The screaming, the crunch of metal and crack of bones. The bus crash, the guys. I was almost too scared to pull my gaze away from the discolored cushion in front of me as my breath came in pants, afraid to see their lifeless eyes and twisted necks. My stomach jumped into my throat, bile rising. I raised my fist, biting down into my flesh to hold in my tortured scream, because once I started, I might not be able to stop.

Oh god, I didn’t even remember seeing Maddie, but something scattered at the back of my memory said that I did. I remembered her flying forward and getting lost in the haze of screams and debris. Everyone was either horribly injured or dead. I released my fist and looked down at my trembling hands. They were clean, rather than covered in dirt, cuts, and blood. Blood that wasn’t mine to begin with. My stomach lurched at that thought. I knew whose blood it should have been, and even though I couldn’t see it, it was still there under the skin. The ghost of the memory made my head spin, my heart pounding like it wanted to rip out of my chest and lay at my feet bleeding out.

Gathering the courage to do what had to be done, I held my breath as I slowly stretched up in my seat, my neck craning to look around this new graveyard. Families needed to know what happened here tonight, and I hoped someone had already called 911. Who knew how long we’d been out here, but I didn’t hear any sirens.

What in the world…?

Everything was completely wrong. As I finally realized my surroundings, I noticed the bus sat in one piece, not separated in two halves with the engine on fire and corpses riddling the floor. The air was clear of smoke. No sign of a crash or even a slight impact. Just a normal bus, sitting on the side of a lonely country road. Quiet breathing filled the eerie stillness, and I stood on shaking legs, only to have them collapse under me again. It was like walking on noodles, and I had to hold myself up with weak arms.

I could see over the top of the seat and just make out Maddie’s red cheerleading outfit, her chest rising up and down. Her face was covered by a hoodie, as if she were only sleeping. Relief flooded through me so strong, I let out a quiet sob. She was here…she was alive. I clenched the seat to pull myself up, leaning over to shake her shoulders roughly.

“Maddie, wake up!” I rasped, desperately pulling the hoodie off her and practically falling on my ass when her face turned towards me.

Holy shit…

Her eyes popped open instantly, her honey brown gaze connecting with mine as she started to gasp like a fish out of water. She looked past me for a second, as if she wasn't even really seeing me. As if the same memories were flooding back as they had with me. I watched the terror leave her slowly, and after a few heartbeats, her shoulders sagged when she realized it was just me. I was pretty sure my mouth was gaping as I continued to stare at her. I was speechless.

“Oh, thank god you're alive!” she choked out, seconds before she jumped up and crushed me in a hug so tight, I swore a rib cracked. She released me almost as fast but kept ahold of my shoulders. She looked me over with a frown on her face.

“Why are you staring at me like that? What’s wrong?” Her eyes traveled over my stricken face, confused. “You know, I had the strangest dream…” She tilted her head at me, but then gasped loudly again, slapping a hand over her mouth, eyes going impossibly wide as she stared at the side of my head.

“Your hair!” I blurted, knowing she was about to freak out. I was freaking out.

“Oh my god, what happened to your hair?!” she said at the exact same time.

“My hair?” I asked in bewilderment.

She grabbed a piece of mine and held it up, showing me a streak of pure white