Captivation: Want Nothing But You

Chapter 110 Pushed Into Traffic

Rachel's fingers tightened on the phone. "Roger," she said as she looked up at him hesitantly.

"I remember you always used to eat whiskey heart chocolate bars before exams. I remember before we took the college entrance exam I asked you why. You told me that chocolate helps with your anxiety, and that sweet things make you feel happy. I saw someone selling the chocolate bars just now." Roger said coyly as he held his hand out to her. Resting in his palm was a chocolate bar. He had his eyes lowered shyly and didn't see the panicked expression on her face.

"Roger," Rachel said before he said anything more. Roger looked up at her in confusion. Rachel cleared her throat before she said, "Riley... Riley is missing!"

It shattered from the impact, spilling its whiskey contents at their feet. It smelt more alcoholic than sweet. Rachel hadn't even had the chance to try and take a bite before Roger dropped it.

"This is my fault. I was supposed to be watching her," Rachel said after she'd taken a deep breath to calm herself.

"How long has she been missing?" Roger asked in a low, overly calm voice.

"Three or four minutes at the most."

"I don't think she could have gotten far in that time. Let's split up and look for her. We'll cover more ground that way. Don't worry, we'll find her." Roger tried to comfort Rachel as much as possible. He didn't want her to blame herself too much.

Rachel nodded slowly as she looked up at him. "I've checked the surveillance footage on that camera," she said as she pointed up at the camera near the entrance to the bathroom, "It looks like she went that way, but I can't tell where she went from there. There aren't any more cameras along that way." She gestured in the direction she'd seen Riley go.

Roger only briefly paused to wonder how Rachel would have been able to get hold of the surveillance footage in such a short span of time. But right now he didn't have the time to think on it too deeply. Riley was missing, and they had to find her. With a nod he said, "You go left, I'll go right. Let's keep each other updated. Call me if anything happens."

Rachel nodded in agreement, then the two of them set off on their different paths.

She turned left at a fork in the road and carried on walking along for some time. It led out to the road outside the square, but she didn't find Riley.

The longer she thought about the possibility, the more nervous she became. The red light flashed mockingly at her as she stared down on the monitor screen. She wiped the clammy sweat off her hands and pulled her phone out her pocket. The screen displayed two missed calls from Roger. Roger hadn't called. She put her phone away, murmuring to herself, "Stop scaring yourself now. Riley is fine. Everything will be alright."

As she glanced across the road, she saw a little girl dressed in the same clothes as Riley had been wearing. She was standing with her back to Rachel, so it was impossible to see her face and know for sure whether it was her or not. But the similar clothes were enough for Rachel to hope.

"Riley!" Rachel shouted.

But her attempt was futile. The noise of the traffic drowned out her voice and the little girl didn't hear her. Worst of all, Rachel began to lose sight of her as she walked away.

Rachel was just about to step into the road to chase her when her phone rang. The sound broke the anxious haze that had been clouding her mind.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at the caller ID; it was Roger. She immediately answered it.

"Roger, I think I've found - "

"Rachel, I found Riley. Where are you? I'll meet you at your location," Roger interrupted her. In the background, she could hear people laughing and talking, as well as the distinct sound of Riley's voice calling her "auntie."

Rachel raised her head and looked back towards the little girl on the other side of the road. A man came over and scooped her into his arms. Now she could finally see the girl's face.

She was not Riley.

Rachel audibly sighed in relief. "That's great news. I'm standing on the side of the road west of the square," she said.

As she spoke, the traffic lights turned green and the cars came speeding past her. The sound of rubber on the road, and brakes and hooters drowned out the sound of her voice. Roger hardly heard a word she said.

Roger tried his best to understand, but with the noise of the traffic he just didn't catch enough of her sentence to comprehend her meaning. He was already walking down the left path Rachel had taken, and he had Riley held safely in his arms.

"What did you say?" Roger said loudly. "I couldn't hear anything."

Rachel stuck her finger in her opposite ear so she could hear him better. She raised her voice as she spoke into the phone, "I'm standing - "

Before she finished her sentence, someone pushed her from behind. She staggered forward, trying to regain her balance. But she couldn't. She'd been standing so close to the edge of the road that one step was enough to put her in harm's way, right in front of the speeding traffic. A car and truck horns blared wildly at her.

A particularly loud truck horn blasted from just off to her right. It was close; very, very close.

It was going too fast to stop in such a short span of time. The driver was doing his best, but he knew well enough that he wouldn't be able to avoid hitting her. He hammered frantically on his hooter, trying to get her to move.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Rachel knew she should have dived out the way when she saw the truck, but her mind just went totally blank.

At that exact moment, Roger arrived. He heard the truck's hooter over the phone, and in person. He raised his head in time to see Rachel staggering into the road, her phone clutched in her hand, and the truck speeding towards her. Roger's eyes widened in immediate panic. "Rachel!" he screamed, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

Rachel stared stupidly at the truck. She knew she should get out the way. But she couldn't. It was like her feet were set in a block of cement and her brain had turned to jelly. The only thing she did was cover her stomach with her hands.

"Is this really how I die? In a car accident? Am I never going to meet this baby that has been making my life a living hell?"

All the while, the truck got nearer.

This was the only thing that flashed through her mind before she closed her eyes.

The truck hooted again. This time it was louder, closer, and all the more frantic.

All the other pedestrians gasped in horror and covered their mouths with their hands. Some closed their eyes like Rachel had, unwilling to watch the bloody scene about to unfold.

Rachel felt something hit her body. And then suddenly, she was being tumbled along the ground.

It hurt.

Every inch of her body screamed with pain. It felt like all her joints had popped out their sockets, and like every bone had been crushed. Then, a fierce burning sensation chased through her veins.

Was this what it felt like to get hit by a car?

Was she dying?

Rachel tried to open her eyes, but only managed to pry them open half-way. She tried to reach up and touch her head, but her arm wouldn't respond to her wishes. It felt like she was losing control of her entire body. With her eyes partly opened, she could see the road where she'd been standing. She could see black skid marks on the tar from where the truck had braked. There was the definite smell of burning rubber in the air.

But that offensive smell was quickly covered by something all the more pleasant.

"This smells nice," Rachel thought to herself. It was a minty fragrance. Not too strong, and not too weak. It was pleasing to the senses; and it was something she'd smelt before.

A sharp pain blossomed over her forehead and jarred her right to the back of her skull.

It was quite painful to be hit by a car. Then she decided she'd somehow also been poisoned. That was the only logical explanation as to why she'd first felt like she'd been crushed, and now felt as if all her organs were being twisted into knots.

Rachel's thoughts rapidly spun out of control, spiraling beyond her comprehension. And then there was nothing. She'd passed out.

The last thing she remembered was that minty smell.

She had no idea that Victor had rushed her to the Flowerence Hospital, nor that he was waiting outside the emergency room for the doctor.

He didn't have to wait too much longer for the doctor to appear. "Mr. Sullivan," the doctor said, "there is nothing to worry about. Miss Bennet just has a concussion. The baby is perfectly fine. She should wake up in a few hours or so. I do recommend a few days of bed rest though."

Victor said nothing. He just stayed quiet and maintained that neutral expression he wore so well.

After her examination, Rachel was sent up to the VIP ward.

Ivan stayed at the reception desk for a little while longer to pay the bills and get Rachel's medication. Then he went up to her ward. At first he only saw her lying on the bed. Her face was pale, and her head was wrapped in a white gauze that made her look practically ghostly. Then he saw movement at the doors of the balcony. He looked up as Victor stepped back into the room.

"All the paperwork for Miss Bennet's hospitalization has been filled in," Ivan said.

"Alright," said Victor indifferently.

Ivan looked down at the wound on Victor's hand. It was still bleeding and covered in dirt. But it was enough to assure Ivan that what he'd seen a mere hour ago had been real.