The Rain

***CHAPTER 2***

The day it happened didn’t feel important at first.

It was just another day. Another plan. Another excuse to stay together a little longer.

The sky had been gray since morning, heavy with clouds that threatened rain but never quite delivered. By the time evening rolled in, the air felt thick and restless.

“Are we really going out in this weather?” Allen asked, glancing up at the sky.

Kevin shrugged, already halfway into the car. “Since when do we care?”

Jason slid into the driver’s seat, tossing his bag into the back. “Relax. It’s just rain.”

Matthew laughed as he climbed in beside him. “Famous last words.”

Cammie was the last to get in, shutting the door with a soft thud. “If we die, I’m blaming all of you.”

“You’re literally the one who insisted we go,” Kevin pointed out.

“Details,” she said, waving him off.

The engine started.

Music filled the car almost immediately—too loud, overlapping with their voices as they talked over each other, argued about songs, and laughed at things that weren’t even that funny.

It was chaos.

Comfortable chaos.

Rain finally began to fall, soft at first, tapping lightly against the windows. The streetlights blurred as droplets gathered, turning everything outside into streaks of gold and gray.

“Turn that up!” Jason shouted over the music.

Matthew leaned closer to the dashboard, singing along dramatically, his voice surprisingly good even over the noise.

Kevin shifted slightly, his shoulder brushing against Allen’s. He leaned in, whispering something under his breath that made Allen huff out a quiet laugh.

Cammie watched all of it from the backseat, her chin resting against her hand.

For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

She just… looked at them.

Like she was trying to memorize it.

Then—

Everything changed.

Headlights appeared out of nowhere.

Too bright.

Too close.

Jason’s hands tightened on the wheel. “What—”

A horn blared.

Loud. Sharp. Wrong.

“Jason—!” Cammie’s voice cut through everything.

The car jerked.

Tires screeched.

Matthew’s voice stopped mid-note.

Kevin grabbed onto something—anything.

Allen’s breath caught.

And then—

Impact.

A deafening crash tore through the air, metal bending, glass shattering, sound collapsing into something unbearable.

For a split second, everything froze.

And then—

Nothing.

When Matthew opened his eyes, the world felt… wrong.

Too quiet.

Too still.

The first thing he noticed was the ceiling—plain, white, unfamiliar.

The second was the ache.

It spread through his body in dull, heavy waves, like something inside him had been shaken loose.

He tried to move.

Pain shot through him instantly.

A soft groan escaped his lips before he could stop it.

“Oh—he’s awake.”

The voice startled him.

He turned his head slightly, blinking as his vision struggled to focus. A woman stood near the door—nurse, maybe. She looked relieved.

“Can you hear me?” she asked gently.

Matthew stared at her.

“…Yeah,” he managed, though his voice came out rough.

“Good,” she said, stepping closer. “You’ve been unconscious for a while. You’re in the hospital. You were in an accident.”

An accident.

The word echoed strangely in his head.

Fragments flickered—rain, light, noise—

And then nothing.

His brows furrowed slightly.

“…I don’t remember,” he said.

The nurse’s expression softened. “That’s okay. It can happen. Just take your time.”

Matthew swallowed, his throat dry.

“…Was I alone?”

The question came out before he could think about it.

The nurse hesitated.

Just for a second.

“…You were brought in by emergency services,” she said carefully. “Right now, what matters is that you’re safe.”

Safe.

The word didn’t feel right.

Matthew stared back at the ceiling, his chest tightening for reasons he couldn’t explain.

There was something missing.

Something important.

He could feel it.

But no matter how hard he tried—

He couldn’t reach it.

Far away, in different rooms, in different places—

The others woke up too.

Alive.

But not whole.

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***END OF THE CHAPTER***

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