After We Collided Novels & Stories

He eructed black smoke from his mouth, and then his breathing stabilizes and the color started to come back. They all sighed in relief. Some guests are crying and calling out to their companions. Vian and Kira were taken into the infirmary while the others were given medicine and assistance. A lot of the guests were hurt by the flying tables and branches of trees but no one was gravely injured.

The silence that followed the collision was absolute. It was not the quiet of a peaceful afternoon; it was the suffocating, atmospheric dead zone of a world that had temporarily forgotten how to breathe. When the blinding white plasma of the kinetic-gravitational shockwave finally faded, the historic center of Arusha had been permanently altered.

Then, Carmen slid back into the driver's seat, grumbling to herself, saying, "Lucky for me that nosy old hag didn't screw things up. My sweet ride should be showing up any minute now." Patrick was practically buzzing with excitement, rubbing his hands together, saying, "Awesome, we're going to be filthy rich soon!" The folks in the back seat paid them no mind, convinced they had lost their marbles. As predicted, ten minutes later, Carmen pulled up to the spot where my car had been rear-ended in our previous life. Sure enough, a sleek, limited-edition luxury car pulled in right behind us.

The line moved. Stronger now. Cleaner. The creatures faltered. Retreated. Finally. But not broken. Never broken. “They’re falling back,” Mira said. “Yes,” I replied. “But not done.” A final wave came. Hard. Fast. Desperate. We met it. All of us. Together. And this time. We didn’t just survive. We ended it. The last creature fell. Silence followed. Heavy. Cold. Real. Darian stretched his shoulders. “That was fun.”

Brandon struggled to stay upright as he leaned in to kiss me, but the drug finally took hold, and he collapsed onto me. I pushed him off and quickly pulled a small capsule from my purse. Twisting it open, I sprinkled its contents onto the white sheets. Almost instantly, vivid red stains bloomed across the fabric like scattered plum blossoms. Once everything was in place, a knock sounded at the door. I frowned and crept toward it cautiously. The moment I opened it, I was pulled into a broad, familiar embrace, and the door slammed shut behind us.

I heard movement behind us, fast and deliberate. I pushed forward, my eyes fixed on the alley’s exit. The main street was right there. And from nowhere, I collided violently with someone.

Notifications flooded the screen so fast the numbers blurred. I opened the top one. It was a video. It showed me head down, my earbuds plugged in as I walked fast across the quad. Jace and his group were around the corner. My shoulder slammed into his chest then I stumbled, his hand instantly reached out and caught my arm to steady me. Someone had slowed that part down; made it look deliberate and intimate. The caption read: “Hockey captain meets his mystery girl #CollisionCouple” Comments poured in underneath.

Clang. After a series of jolts, the vehicle was smashed beyond recognition. Justin and Jasper crawled out, looking disheveled. Their heads were bleeding from the collision, and they were covered in dirt. There was no trace of their arrogance and confidence just moments ago. Bam! Bang, bang, bang! When Jasper came out, he aimed his gun at Andrius and fired without hesitation. He knew that this was his only chance. However, even if he wanted to catch Andrius off guard, he still failed.

I mewled out passionately before I could stop myself. The sudden screech of the car made me jerk out of my notional utterances. A dangerously loud bang was caused by the impulsive pause, followed by wailing by a man or rather men. I calculated it to be the car behind our back colliding with the one at his back and we were the source of the collision. I snapped a baffled stare at Aaron whose palm was tightly wrapped on the steering.

“She’ll be at the shelter Friday night. After the meal run. If she wants to talk, she’ll step outside. If she doesn’t, don’t follow her. Don’t make this worse.” Meekey nodded, hands trembling slightly. “Thank you.” Zoe stood. “Don’t thank me yet. You’ve got one shot.” As she walked away, Meekey gripped the note in her hand like it was made of glass. One shot. And this time, she wasn’t going to miss.