Pieces of Me

"You're going to pay for embarrassing me, Horatio! You were all smug when you exposed men, weren't you? Now say goodbye. You're just a broke ass kid. Annabelle doesn't even like you. She's going to cover for me even if I kill you right here!"

I heard Zacharias Wisher's voice, but before I could do anything, I felt the headlights zooming closer. The car trampled over me, and pain stabbed through my body like a sea of swords swarming its victim.

Oh, yeah. I was reborn, and it was at the very moment Zacharias hit me with his car. My phone lay beside me, broken but also connected to my girlfriend. She was speaking, but her voice was laced with disdain.

"Stop calling me, Horatio. I know you're trying to drive a wedge between me and Zacharias because you're jealous of him. He'd never hit you with a car. His car is worth millions. Your life's not worth one crash. Make up a believable lie next time."

She went silent, perhaps waiting for my answer. I did not explain myself or beg for her help like I did in my previous life. I didn't try to expose Zacharias to her either.

I watched Zacharias drive off into the distance. With all the strength I could muster, I hung up on Annabelle and made one final call with whatever remained of my phone's battery.

The call went through. Despite the pain, I said, "Gregory, help."

My ears were ringing. Maybe Gregory answered me, but I couldn't hear him. I was sure he would show up, however. Gregory Leafenstein was my brother, and he adored me. I was also the heir of my family, second to Gregory, and the family kept me well protected.

Keeping a low profile and dating Annabelle Lawson was the most they could tolerate before they blew up. If they knew someone attacked me, they would make sure the perpetrator went through their own worst hell before sending them to purgatory.

I was dragging myself toward the edge of the road, but then Zacharias drove back. The window rolled down, and he looked at me darkly. "Annabelle said you could be alive. I just wanted to be sure."

My heart sank. If he were to hit me again, I'd die for real this time. He was going to step on the gas, and I was going to make peace with whatever higher power there was out there, but a crimson car came out of nowhere and crashed into Zacharias' Maybach.

A lady got out of the car and came running toward me. "Are you alright, Horatio?" she shouted, panic dripping from her voice.

Wendy Lawson. She was Annabelle's sister. In my previous life, she asked for help from all the people she knew. She even went down on her knees, but in the end, she was violated right in front of my hosital bed, and she lost her life. Zacharias was the culprit.

Words weren't enough to describe what I was feeling, though guilt and gratitude stood out most. I swore I would keep her safe this time. No harm would come to her.

One thing stood out to me, though. Why was she here? How'd she know… I had no time to ponder, and I shoved her away.

"Leave! You need to go!"

There was no time. Zacharias was already behind her, and he yanked Wendy's hair. "Who the hell are you, bitch? Do you have any idea who I am? I'm going to kill this worthless bastard! Get in my way, and I'll kill you too!"

He slammed his foot into Wendy's belly, and she started sweating in pain. Even so, she gathered up all her strength and chomped down on Zacharias' hand.

Zacharias gasped in pain. He grabbed a stone and swung it at Wendy's head. Blood spilled, and my heart wrenched in pain. I roared, "That's Annabelle's sister! She's going to kill you if she finds out you hurt her sister!"