Chapter 4

My stomach started hurting very badly.

Maybe I was too hungry. I took out the piece of chocolate that I had left with my trembling hand. I did not care about saving it for later; I simply stuffed it right into my mouth. The sweetness helped a little with my palpitations, but I felt my head getting heavier.

My body was freezing, and I felt even colder than when I was waiting in the wind. It was the type of cold that seeped into my bones. I held onto the scarf even tighter, but it was as if its warmth had disappeared. I could no longer feel it. Just when I was about to lose my balance, a black car drove toward me and slowly stopped at the rest stop.

I stared at it like it was my last hope and forced myself to walk over. However, the car windows rolled down to reveal a man whom I did not know.

“Hello… Can you lend me your phone? I… I don’t feel well…”

My voice was so soft that I could no longer hear it myself.

The man was stunned. Very soon, he took out his phone and passed it to me.

“Are you alright? You look very sick.”

I did not have time to explain. I dialed my father’s number with frozen fingers.

He answered very quickly this time.

“Dad…”

I cried with a trembling voice.

“When… When will Uncle Darren arrive? I don’t feel good… I feel dizzy, and my heart is beating too fast… Am I sick?”

My father sounded impatient.

“What is it this time? Didn’t I ask you to wait? Your uncle has already departed, but the traffic is bad. He will be arriving soon! Why are you so impatient? You’re the one who acted slowly and didn’t get into the car. Now you have to own up to it.”

“No… Dad, I really do feel unwell…”

My explanation did not change anything.

“Enough, stop causing trouble. Just wait there! Why are you making such a big fuss over the New Year?”

He hung up on me again. The beeping tone pierced my ear. I opened my mouth again. I wanted to say that I could no longer hold on, but before I could say that, my father had ended the call. I held onto the phone and stood in a daze, almost forgetting to return the phone to the man.

He ended up reaching for it and started comforting me softly.

“Don’t worry, your family is going to arrive soon. How about you get into my car to warm yourself up?”

I shook my head. I was afraid that Uncle Darren would miss me, so I forced myself to thank him and moved back to where I was.

After a long while, I was no longer shivering. My heart rate had also slowed down.

However, I did not feel any better. I felt as though my limbs did not belong to me. They were frozen and numb. I wanted to stomp to feel a bit warmer, but it was hard for me to even lift my legs. It was as if my movements were in slow motion.

The sky had gone completely dark.

I stared at the intersection in a daze with a blurred vision. I felt myself starting to lose myself, so I clenched my teeth and forced myself to walk back to the building.

I leaned against the wall and could barely breathe. It was as if someone were choking me and pressing a huge stone against my chest. I gasped and I tried to breathe in more air. But my breath was short, so I did not get enough oxygen.

The world began to evade my sight, and the streetlight started burning my eyes. My knees suddenly bent, and I fell onto the floor. I no longer had the strength to hold myself up, so I curled up against the cold ground. The scarf came apart, but I did not have the energy to wrap it around me again.

I was so tired…

I could no longer open my eyes, and I felt my consciousness slowly fade away. In a daze, I thought I saw my parents running toward me with anxious expressions. Before I completely shut my eyes, I thought to myself.

‘Ah, you’re finally here to pick me up…’