Chapter 4
Second Impact
A minor collision leaves Karina hospitalized and penniless. The fresh trauma ignites a burning desire for justice against those responsible for her past ordeal.
The screech of tires was a sound Karina knew intimately, a visceral jolt that sent a cold dread snaking through her veins. This time, it was different. Not the bone-jarring, metal-rending symphony of destruction that had become a permanent fixture in her nightmares, but a sharp, violent interruption to the mundane rhythm of Seattle traffic. A sickening crunch, a jolt that threw her forward against the seatbelt, and then the jarring halt. Her breath hitched. It wasn't the bus, not the hulking metal beast that had stolen her peace, but a smaller, more intimate impact. A fender bender. A careless driver. A cruel twist of fate.
She sat frozen for a moment, the world outside the shattered windshield a blur of concerned faces and flashing hazard lights. The air, thick with the scent of burnt rubber and something acrid, tasted like defeat. Her head throbbed, a dull ache that promised to blossom into a full-blown migraine. She’d been so careful, so determined to keep her head down, to just survive until she could scrape together enough to flee this city that held her captive. And now this.
The paramedics were gentle, their voices a soothing balm against the rising panic. They checked her over, their hands cool against her feverish skin. A mild concussion, they said. Some bruising. Nothing compared to that time. But the words felt hollow, a cruel mockery of her internal turmoil. She was alive. Again. And the universe, it seemed, had a twisted sense of humor.
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