Water splashed out of the little puddle as she set her foot right into it and chuckled. That wasn’t intentional but fun to do.

Anna ambled down the street, with the mid-April cool breeze blowing over her head, and leaves dribbling down droplets of the rain last night.

"Damn, I forgot my jacket" she mumbled through slightly trembling lips and she hugged herself. Ten minutes later, she was standing at the front door of her cafe, foraging through her bag for the keys. She could be really clumsy at times and was very well aware of it.

Finally inserting the keys into the keyhole, she opened the doors and was immediately welcomed by the jingling of the silver wind-chime above. A smile tugged at her lips as she flipped the sign board on the door to 'OPEN' before walking around the counter. Placing her old leather sling bag on the counter, she plopped down on her seat. The clock above ticked 7:45am as she sighed and closed her eyes. The images of the nightmare from last night came unbidden at her calm brain. The blood, bodies and hands, everything was still fresh in her mind despite of her attempts to erase them. How long until she would be able to get over it?

Anna was lost in her sorrowful reverie, when the jingling echoed in the empty shop, and her eyes drifted to the door.

Hope walked in with a wide, infectious smile stretched across her lips as usual. That was enough to pull Anna back from her sad thoughts and onto her feet. She smiled at Hope as they both hugged each other.

"Good Morning Miss. Smith," Hope’s voice tickled the insides of Anna’s ears.

"Good morning Hope and please, it's Anna. You make me sound so old." they both chuckled. The lady was in her late 30’s, almost of Anna’s mother’s age. Over Ten years since the first day she met Hope, and she was still the same, all smiles and hugs.

“How is Aunt Mary?” Hope pulled back, her hands resting on Anna’s shoulders.

“Granu is fine. Doing better then me I guess.” Anna grinned.

Hope’s smile seemed to falter a little but came back wider.

"I'll go get changed," Hope said and left for the staff's changing room, and Anna was once again by herself. She shook her head.

Clear your mind, girl. You got this.

By the time it was 8:20, the staff had arrived and the tables and chairs were arranged. All was set to start a fresh new day at the cafe, with the unwanted thoughts buried somewhere at the back of her mind. Customers started arriving as the day got busier. Anna was occupied with taking payment and smiling to each and every customer. It was a regular routine for her now.

She sat down on her chair and resumed her work at the computer. It was the month ending. There was so much to take care of. With eyes glued to the monitor, and fingers furiously typing over the keyboard, she was immersed in her work when a flat, female voice rang in her ears.

“I thought you died,” Anna’s eyes snapped up from the computer, to the owner of the voice and her fingers halted over the keyboard.

“Eva?” Anna raised her eyebrows in surprise. Whoa!

“What?” The tall, caramel haired girl crossed her arms and leaned on the door, an annoyed expression plastered over her beautiful face.

“What are you doing here, and why are you glaring at me?” Anna asked, puzzled.

“I’m hoping you’ll spontaneously combust,” Eva couldn’t hide the irritation in her voice, nor on her face.

“I wonder why?” Anna’s voice was calm, unbothered by her best friend’s hollow threats. Shifting her gaze back on the computer, she continued with her work. Eva gave up trying to act cold and walked around the counter to Anna and pulled a chair for herself and sat down.

“Why aren’t you answering my calls?” Eva asked, eyes drilling holes into the sides of Anna's head.

“Oh, that…” Anna giggled, “I spilled tea over my phone yesterday,” She glanced at Eva who was rolling her eyes. Of course, that was the dumbest, and most unexpected reason.

“You need to stop worrying so much about me. I am fine.” Anna smiled.

Eva seemed like considering her words but didn’t speak anything. Would it be ever possible? To not worry about her?

“Why were you calling me though?” Anna fully turned to face the girl, who was running her fingers through her close-cropped hair. Eva shrugged.

“To check on you. You said you were having trouble sleeping,” she said, her voice as clipped as ever. Anna on the other hand was feeling all warm and fuzzy from inside, once again becoming aware of the fact that she has a wonderful human being in her life, as her best friend. And as much as Eva tried to act cold and distant to everyone, she couldn’t act the same way with her best friend.

“Thank you,” Anna said.

Eva glanced at her her friend, and sighed before wrapping her arms around her, almost pulling her off the chair.

“Don’t thank me,” she said. Anna smiled and hugged her back.

When they pulled back, Eva was already on her feet.

“Wait, you are leaving?” Anna stood up as well, and followed her to the door.

“I left office to come here and meet you. I need to get back before my Boss finds out I’m missing,” she patted Anna’s cheeks, “Take care,”

Anna smiled, feeling like a little kid being instructed to behave, before nodding.

With that Eva turned around and walked out of the cafe. Anna watched her through the door as she got inside her car and drove away. She briefly wondered whether she would’ve ever left work and drive forty minutes to somewhere just to meet a friend.

They’d known each other for seven memorable years but never ever did Anna see her with a boy. So, she didn’t push her luck either. If someone so pretty and intimidating as Eva didn’t seem to be interested in dating, it was for a good reason, or so she thought.

It was around late noon, when Anna glanced up from the computer. There were only few people at the cafe, probably because the weather was rough. Being seated at the same spot since morning was making her spine ache, so Anna decided to have a little stroll outside and reward her numb backside with some exercise. She requested Hope to have a check on the shop in her absence, which she gladly accepted.

Anna stood up and stretched, and was soon out on the streets, hands crossed against her chest and looking around like a kid. It was something she loved to do and could never get bored of. Simply walking around places, watching people and doing nothing. Being the quiet self that she was, she enjoyed her alone time to the fullest. But today she wasn't enjoying her day at all. Since the moment she left home, her mind was restless with the thoughts of the nightmare, but now, something else was bothering her. She just couldn’t place a finger on it.

Even after Eva dropped by, she was happy for just a brief moment. It was short lived and soon disappeared. It felt weird from inside, very weird.

Is something bad going to happen?

Her subconscious gasped dramatically. Anna ignored it. Good or bad she didn't know, but the feeling wouldn't leave her.

After another fifteen minutes of walking around she returned to the cafe and found Hope sitting at the counter filling the register. She smiled at her as she stood up and let Anna take her seat and then left to attend the customers. Anna decided to distract herself from whatever weird things that she was feeling and focused on the computer screen, going through the monthly records and stuffs.

It was quite dark outside as compared to the time which somehow indicated it would rain. Black clouds were hovering above everywhere with light sounds of thundering at a distance. And soon there were strong wind blowing outside. It was definitely going to rain. Anna looked out of the window slightly frowning when she saw how unexpectedly the whether changed.

"Oh No! I did not get my umbrella." Anna sighed as she stood at the window, peering outside through the glass as small droplets of rain began to hit the ground. There were very few people on the street, who started rushing back to the comfort of their homes for some warmth. Cool, strong winds blew across the streets as the rattling of leaves grew louder and the heavy downpour continued steadily.

All the staff left early as Anna asked them to, for the weather was unpredictable, but Hope stayed back for cleaning and even after Anna offered to help cleaning for the day, she did not give in. Hope cleaned the last table and changed her work attire into her casual clothes before handing over the keys to Anna.

"How are you going home my dear? Should I drop you home? It's raining quite heavily," Hope said taking out her car keys from the purse.

"Oh No, Thanks Hope but you’re going in the opposite direction and I don't think going back and forth in this weather would be a good idea," Anna looked outside at the heavens pouring their hearts out. This weather was making the weird feeling grow in her and somehow she just wanted to get home and curl into her bed.

“You worry about everyone, don’t you? You are so much like your Mother.” Hope smiled, a smile that did not reach her eyes. She knew Anna’s mother for over years until last February when...

Anna smiled, gulping down the lump forming in her throat. No, she wouldn’t cry. She had promised to herself that she wouldn’t.

"I think you should leave before the weather gets any worse," Anna said, changing the subject as Hope nodded. She was about to leave but stopped and turned around and took out an umbrella from her big carry bag before handing it over to Anna.

"Take care Anna. I'll see you," Hope smiled.

"Goodnight, Hope,"

Anna stood there for another few minutes, waiting for the weather to calm down, but the rain seemed to pour steadily outside.

The heavens are not stopping anytime soon.

She glanced at the wall clock which said 8:15 pm. Letting out a huge sigh she decided to just head back home before it's too late, not wanting to worry the old lady waiting for her at home. Shutting down the computer, she swung the bag around her shoulders, and picked up the umbrella. After switching off all the lights, she locked the doors and made her way through the heavy rain back home.

The walk back home was harder than she had assumed. She walked slowly along the side walk, fearing the strong wind might blow away her umbrella, the only thing shielding her from the heavy downpour. Clutching the handle tight between her trembling fingers, she shivered as the cool breeze sent chills down her body. She was already drenched from knee down as the continues strong wind made it more difficult for her to walk.

This was a bad idea.

You should have just taken the lift from Hope. Her subconscious grumbled at her.

She was half way through when a distant flickering light caught her attention. Anna tried to ignore it but it didn't seem like a moving vehicle since it was immobile. She tensed as her subconscious told her to ignore it and make it home safely. But curiosity got the best out of her as she found herself turning away from the main road that lead to her house, and onto the small junction as she tried to figure out where the lights were coming from. Maybe someone is stuck and is trying to call for help. But what is its a ghost waiting to lure a passer-by into their trap? Anna gulped. Clutching the umbrella tightly, and moving carefully against the gusting wind, she stepped closer to the source of the light.

As she came closer, the flickering lights got brighter. She held her sling bag close to her chest, water droplets hitting her face with every blowing wind as she counted her steps with every shallow breath leaving her lips. With her heart drumming at her ears, she approached the source in the darkness and let out a gasp. All the blood drained off her face.

The flickering headlights of the black Audi blinked with the rhythm of her racing heart, and much to her horror, it was wrecked upside down

Anna's breath hitched at the back of her throat. Shocks ran through her body as she considered the situation before her. Was she dreaming? The site looked so similar to that. The images of what happened last February came ruining back to her.

She started shivering out of pure horror, and her hold on the umbrella loosened as she stared at the black car whose headlights, although broken, were still blinking. Her eyes wandered forward on the road. Pieces of glass and broken parts of the car lay scattered meters away from the where it lay. It seemed like the car had dragged a long way after the collide, or whatever on earth that had happened. Anna blinked furiously, feeling dizzy. She was certain that she would collapse, when a sudden thunder struck above, jolting her out of her trance. It was soon accompanied by a wind so strong that it blew away the umbrella from her hands, just what she was afraid of.

Everything happened so quickly that she had to invest a few seconds to process it. As she tried to run after the umbrella which was now being dragged on the road by the force of the wind, a low shuffle from inside the car caught her attention, and her invisible cat ears perked out. She froze.

Oh my God, there's someone in there.

She didn't move, feeling momentarily paralysed as the rain seeped into her clothes and drenched her whole form. This wasn’t how she planned her evening to be. Slowly and cautiously, she turned around, facing the damaged vehicle. Her subconscious was yelling at the peak of her lungs to turn around, take the other way which would lead her home safely, away from whatever she was getting herself into. Her clothes were sticking to her skin, which was turning white.

Gulping hard and reciting some silent prayers in her mind, she slowly moved forward. Every step carefully measured, not to get too close. Stopping a few steps away from it, she stooped down and peered in through the broken window glass. There was no one.

Huh? Did she just hear things? She let out a breath, still tensed, as her eyes flickered due to the rain water rolling down her face.

I freaked out for no reason.

A sudden grunt from the front seat had her jolting up, holding her chest. What the hell?

Anna stumbled back as the grunts stopped and were soon followed by heavy breathings, almost like choked breaths. Her eyes balled out.

Anna was uncertain what got over her that she was acting so brave when she knew she couldn't handle such situations alone. And the scene of last February replaying in her head was not helping the situation at all. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.

I need to help whoever is in there.

She dropped to her knees on the wet road, palm pressing over her thighs, and bent down to peep inside the car. Her vision unfocused and focused like a camera before she was able to see who was inside.

A man hung upside down, his body held tight to his seat by the seat belt. It was dark inside, but thanks to the sole street lamp lit over a distance, she could see him. He wore a white shirt, that was soaked in his blood.

Blood. Oh my God, so much blood.

Her breathing quickened as she quickly ran her eyes over the man's wrecked condition. His seat belt was tangled tight around his chest and abdomen making it even harder for the poor fellow to breathe. She noticed his chest was hardly moving.

He isn’t breathing?

Anna knew she would have to help him. Now after coming so close, she couldn't turn back because the view would probably haunt her for the rest of her life, and what could get worse? The man might die.

She took a deep breath and reached out to the other side of the seat, careful not to brush against him, and tried to unbuckle the seat belt.

Damn, It’s stuck.

She dug her finger into the button but nothing clicked. Now even her own breathing was escalated, as she tried to stay as calm as possible. She tried again, holding the loose side of the belt and pulled it so that it would loosen up.

The man shifted in his position, a little whimper escaping his lips. Anna stilled at the sound and gulped. Common, just get over with it already.

She pushed the button again and it finally clicked open, as the man slid out of it and his upper body met the roof of the car. Anna heaved a breath like she was the one who was suffocated by that seat belt. After a moment of catching her breath she glanced at the man. His head was towards her and feet in the opposite direction which gave her a topsy-turvy view of his face. He was as still as a corpse.

''What do I do? Phone. Where is my phone?" she opened her sling bag but soon realised that her phone was resting at home, soaking the tea she had spilled over it last night.

Shit! She cursed silently and turned towards the man, running a hand through her wet, dishevelled hair. He was still motionless, no movement at all, not even his chest moving, and a sudden shock ran through her spine.

Wait! is he dead? Oh my God.

Reluctantly, she reached forward, tapping on his shoulder softly. He didn't budge. She tapped again but all she could hear was the rain pouring and the sound of her own ragged breathing.

No no no don't die. You can’t die. She bit onto her lip and tried not to break down.. If he dies now, she would die too, of guilt, that she wasted time over-thinking when she could have saved him.

As she continuesly shook his shoulders and hit his arms to wake him up, a hand abruptly grabbed her wrist and she almost let out a scream. Anna looked at the strong grip on her hand before her eyes travelled down to the man. His head moved, side to side, panting and said something inaudible to her.

"What?" She leaned forward , bringing her ears closer to his face as his breath tickled her ear and she unconsciously inhaled his strong cologne.

"I -I can't...I can't b-breathe" he stuttered out through hoarse voice and visibly gulped trying to soothe his dry throat. Anna's eyes went wide.

Can’t breathe? What if he dies?

Without thinking twice, she slid her hands under his armpits and with all the force in her body, tried to pull him out.

He was bulky. Anna pulled, panted and struggled as she laboured the hardest in those few minutes than she had in her entire life. She tried harder and after a lot of struggles was finally able to get him out of the broken window and onto the wet road. She dragged him away, from the wrecked vehicle which looked like it would blow up any minute, at least that's what she saw in movies.

Dragging the bulky structure towards a nearby tree, she panted, hardly able to feel her arms which were slowly growing numb. While getting him to the side of the road, away from the car, she tripped on her back foot and landed right on her butt, with his upper body over her lap. Anna froze for a moment before groaning as his body weighed down on her.

God, he is heavy.

He didn't look fat, there were muscles and only muscles everywhere her eyes went across his skin through the torn shirt.

What a fine specimen.

Wait, What?

Realizing where her thoughts were leading even in the unexpected situation, she shook her head, trying to clear her mind. This is not the time Anna.

She tried to get him into a sitting position, trying to push him off her lap but he was practically double her size which made things even harder. After trying to move the heavy man again and again, she grew tired and gave up. It was still raining, not as heavy as before but light showers. She looked at the man whose head was in her lap and it was the first time that she saw his face clearly.

His black hair stuck to his forehead, a calm look over his face. There were pieces of glass pierced into the sides of his neck and down his chest. Anna gulped as she again inhaled his strong scent that made her dizzy and quickly turned her head away.

"Oh God Please help me. How did I even end up here?" She pushed her face into her palms, silently praying to God to show her a way out of the situation.

Anna sat there with the bulky structure over her lap and with no clue of what she was going to do next. She was mentally cursing herself for being so helplessly curious all the time, which was also the reason she was sitting on that road.

Maybe God heard her requests because from the opposite direction she saw a beam of light shining towards her direction. It was a car, but she visualized it as a ray of hope, a saviour coming for her rescue—their rescue.

Anna felt relief washing through her as she raised her hands in the air from where she was sitting, and started waving at the approaching car.

"Help! Please Help us!" She yelled with all the energy left in her body and kept waving and shouting until the car driver noticed her and pulled over to the side. He hopped out of the car and hurried over to the pair on the ground.

"What happened? Is he okay?" He bent down to check if the man was breathing as he moved his fingers near his nostrils. He was breathing but shallow.

"Please help me get him to the hospital," she said, almost cried. Well, the man was heavy and her legs were numb already because of his weight and she was about to faint due to the smell of his cologne lingering near her nose.

"Miss, you can't get to the hospital right now. Due to the storm, there are trees fallen over the roads and the way to the hospital is blocked" He shook his head.

"What? But, He needs to be taken to the hospital" she could not believe all of that was really happening.

"Miss, better than getting wet in the rain and making the situation worse, I would advise you to take him home. You can call the doctor over." He suggested.

"No. I can't. I can't take him home" She blurted out. How could she take a random stranger soaked in blood to her house? But also, she could not abandon him there, go home and rest.

The man looked at her like she was talking Greek. Of course, the way she was sitting with the man, looking so concerned but refused to take him home had him doubting over her mental stability, for he didn’t know what their relationship was.

Letting out a huge sigh, Anna nodded to the man as both of them tried to carry the man to his car. Even the two of them were struggling.

Ugh! What does he eat to be this heavy?

After some pulling, falling, dragging and pushing, they were able to get him to the car and in the back seat. His long legs did not fit in so she folded them on the seat and shut the door. Anna got in the passenger seat beside the driver and they drove away from the accident spot. She gave him her address and in another five minutes, they were in front of her house, struggling to get the heavy figure out of the car. They carried him over the steps, with each of his arms around both of their necks. As they stepped on the front porch, Anna abruptly stopped in her tracks when the main door creaked open even before knocking and a screeching voice pierced their ears.

"Oh my God, Who the hell is that?"

Anna stood there, staring at the pair of wide eyes in front of her as her grandmother appeared shocked to see the man clingy onto Anna's neck. The atmosphere grew colder than the breeze gushing outside.

"Granu I will explain everything , just let me get him inside. He is heavy." Anna said, panting, her knee ready to give up.

The old lady's eyes travelled from Anna to the unconscious man and back to Anna as she closed her mouth which was hanging open from long. The poor driver, whose presence was fully forgotten just stood there awkwardly until he decided to break the silence.

"Actually- he is really heavy" he tried to smile.

Both the females looked at the him in unison and the old lady heaved a heavy breath before nodding reluctantly and stepping aside to let them bring him, or precisely saying, drag him inside the house. Her eyes followed their movement in as they struggled with the unconscious man. Anna thanked the man who had helped her and he left as she closed the door, finally sighing as she was inside her warm house. Did she necessarily had to bring all this on herself?

Anna turned around and walked into the living room where they had laid down the man on the couch which was noticably small for his huge structure. When Anna came to the couch, the old lady was already there, hands on her hips, brows furrowed and mouth slightly open as she stared down at the unconscious man. Anna cleared her throat catching the ladies attention. Her Grandmother turned fully towards Anna to face her and she knew it would be a long talk.

"Would you care to explain who is this and what is he doing in my house?" she raised an eyebrow.

Anna just sighed and plopped down to the single couch next to the main one as her body was aching from all the heavy push and pulls. She looked at the man and then at the lady standing in front of her with hands crossed against her chest.

Anna took a deep breath and started explaining about everything, how she rescued the man and the struggles she went through to get him here. Her Grandmother closely listened to everything then turned around and went inside the kitchen as Anna stood up and approached the man to check where he was hurt.

She slowly shifted the left collar of his shirt to see for any wounds but there was none and unwillingly her eyes travelled across his protruding veins on the neck. Anna shook her head, erasing the inappropriate thoughts and looked around. There was a lot of blood on his right shoulder and the fabric there was torn. Anna gulped looking at the stains. They were dry, and unknowingly she wondered for how long he was bleeding inside the car. Not to mention, upside down.

Anna kneeled beside the couch, slowly shifting him to his side, just enough to discover the wound that ran down from his shoulder to the mid of his back. That looked really bad. She quickly got up and dialed a number on the landline as she pressed the receiver to her ear.

"Hello. Uncle John? I am sorry to call you at this hour but it's an emergency. Could you please come over?" She said.

Dr. John Martin was the best friend of her father and also their family doctor.

"What is it Anna? Why do you sound so scared?"

"It's- just could you come home Uncle. Please."

"Anna my dear, the roads are all jammed due to the storm. I can't come there even if I want to."

"Oh, Jesus"

"Anna what is it? Could you at least tell me what happened?"

She stabled her breathing and explained everything to him. Her voice was trembling, afraid of what she had got herself into. There was an injured man, lying unconscious on her couch with no guarantee of waking up.

"Okay. Although you can't take him to hospital, his wounds have to be cleaned or else there can be an infection. Do you remember the first aid training I gave you some years back?"

"Yeah. A little." He always used to brief Anna about medical stuffs whenever he visited her Dad. He even took her to a medical camp where they trained teenagers about emergency first aid but she never thought she would use it in such a situation. As he was instructing Anna on how to go about in this situation, Her grandmother arrived with two towels , a first aid kit and a warm coffee as she handed it over to Anna.

"First, take off his shirt but be careful not to rub against his wounds."

She gulped and placed the coffee on the table beside the couch and put the landline on speaker as she placed the receiver down. She made her way to the man who was still unconscious and knelt by his side as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. She had to open just three of them as other buttons were either missing or already open.

Anna tried not to look anywhere other than her fingers working over his clothes. It was a really bad situation to check out a man. She slid the shirt off his shoulders without touching his wounds as her Grandmother helped her do so.

What the hell? Her subconscious mind was drooling at the sight.

He was all muscles and popping veins. For a moment, Anna froze but quickly snapped out of the trance when her Grandmother called out to her.

Dr. John was going on speaking as she replied to him in between with an 'okay' and 'done'. With the help of her Grandmother she once again shifted him to his side as she saw the wound clearly. She took the cotton balls as her hands started shivering. Her Grandmother understood her hesitation and took the cotton from her as she started cleaning it herself.

Anna gently turned his face up and started cleaning the little scratches and blood stain on his face. She peeled a bandaid and glued it across his temple. The old lady was still dressing his back wound as Anna found a moment to look at the face she rescued but before she could do so, her grandmother called her for help.

After an hour and half, they both were able to dress the wound and also checked there wasn't any other severe ones. She Thanked Dr. John and he asked her to bring him to the hospital the next day when the roads clear out. She hung up and placed the receiver back.

"Annie, you should get changed. Go take a shower. I will be here don't worry." She said.

As much as she wanted to stay and look after him, she was also tired. So, she nodded and took her purse from the couch and turned around to quickly to change the clothes which were now crumbled and sticky.

Before she could move past the couch, she heard a soft cry. Her eyes went wide as the old lady stood up as well confirming she heard the same. Anna turned around, her gaze down at the man. He shifted slightly and spoke again but very softly. Anna knitted her brows together.

She knelt beside the couch as he was turned onto one side and faced him. His lips moved again and she leaned her ear forward to his face.

"Don't leave me please!" He cried again.