Losing Faith
Table of Contents
Losing Faith
by
Jeremy Asher
LOSING FAITH
Jeremy Asher
Copyright © 2013
All Rights Reserved
AUTHOR’S NOTE This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Editing and eBook formatting services provided by Holloway House (
hollowayhouse.me
).
Chapter 1
Seth Storm
December 22nd
Rain fell onto Seth’s car, creating tiny explosions of water on his windshield. He turned a dial, and his windshield wipers flipped back and forth. A large bolt of lightning raced across the sky, sending a chill down his back. He checked the clock on the dash and tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he pressed down on the accelerator, pushing his Mustang through the storm.
The orange needle of his speedometer climbed in response. In about forty minutes, he’d be on a plane heading back to Fort Wayne, Indiana. The one place he had spent his entire life trying to leave was now the place he had to get back to. Although Nashville had been the home where Seth Storm had made his lifelong dreams come true, those same dreams had taken away the one thing he simply couldn’t live without.
Lightning lit up the sky once again, revealing flashes of the barren country road. Seth turned to look at the weathered guitar case sitting in the passenger seat. Scratches and splintered wood told the story of the years of hardship and strife that had led to the fame he once coveted and now resented. Everything about that old guitar case represented everything he hated about himself, except for one tiny part, a picture of his daughter, Faith, taped to the side next to the handle. He remembered the day that picture had been taken. Faith had just finished singing in the school Christmas program. It had been her first concert. She had a solo, and he remembered how quiet the crowd had become the moment her angelic voice rang out over the auditorium. She had captivated everyone, the same way she had captivated him since her birth.
Through the good, the bad, the success, and the failure, Faith had been there for all of it, loving him no matter what. Now it was time for him to be there for her. And nothing could stop him from getting back to her. He had made a promise to her, and he wasn’t about to let her down. Not this time.
Thunder roared like a lion’s battle cry. Seth gripped the wheel and looked up into the darkness. “I’m coming, Faith.”
After a series of rapid flashes, the rain intensified, as if the lightning had somehow ripped a hole in the hidden clouds above, releasing buckets of rain. He turned up his wipers, but they did little to clear his view. He looked back at the clock on the dash. Time was running out. He had to make his flight.
Another flash lit up the sky, and Seth saw that he wasn’t alone on the road anymore. He saw a set of taillights in a ditch. He drove past, not taking his foot off the gas. He didn’t have time for this now. Besides, someone else would drive down this same road and be able to help.
He stared into his rearview mirror, expecting to see another car traveling down the same road, but it was just as dark as the road ahead. His hands gripped the wheel again, and then he slammed on the brakes, sliding to a stop. The Mustang purred as he debated whether he should get involved or not. This isn’t your problem, he told himself. Think about Faith. You can’t be late. And you
will
be late if you don’t keep driving.
Seth closed his eyes and tightened his jaw. He smacked his hand on the wheel, unable to contain his frustration. Then he slid the car into reverse and backed up to the red car sitting in the shallow ditch.
The car’s taillights and headlights were both on, and smoke billowed from the tailpipe. From where he sat, it didn’t appear that anyone was inside. Seth looked around and saw nothing but darkness in every direction. The car was obviously still running. Why would its owner leave it?
He looked to the road ahead, which held his last chance to make his flight and finally get his life back on track. Then he took another look at the little red car in the ditch. He clutched the wheel until his knuckles turned white. “Just go,” he murmured. This is someone else’s problem. Besides, he thought, staring at the picture of Faith, his little girl is depending on him. He couldn’t let her down again. He had promised her, and broken promises had cost him enough in life. His foot settled on the gas pedal, but he didn’t have it in him to put the car in drive. He stared at the disabled vehicle. Rain bounced from its roof, and he wished more than anything that it would wash the little red car away. The pit in his stomach turned into a large boulder as he realized what he had to do.
He backed up and parked on the shoulder of the road. He pulled out his cell phone and saw that he only had one bar. He popped open the glove box to the Mustang and found only the manual. Remembering to bring a cell phone charger was something his wife, Lexi, had always done. She had always been the responsible one. He stared at the phone’s screen. This is it, he thought. Better make it count. He looked over at the little red car, took a deep breath, and dialed.
“This is 9-1-1. Please state your emergency.” The stoic male voice on the other end seemed removed from the stress Seth was feeling.
“There’s been a car accident. I need you to send help.”
“What is your location, sir?”
“My location?” He looked around, trying to get his bearings. “I’m on Leafland Road.” He heard the clacking of keys in the background.
“Can you be more specific?”
“I’m in the country. There’s nothing but fields and trees. I can’t be any more specific than that.”
“Are you hurt, sir?”
“No,” Seth shook his head. “I wasn’t in the accident. I was on my way to the airport when I noticed a car in the ditch.”
“Is anyone hurt?”
Seth turned to the red car. “I can’t tell. It’s pretty dark here and raining hard. I can’t tell if anyone is inside the car or not.”
More clacking of the keys. “Was there another vehicle involved?”
“I don’t think so. At least, there aren’t any other vehicles around. Are you guys sending someone out here or what?”
“I’ve dispatched someone to your location. They should be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Twenty minutes!”
“Yes, sir. There are a lot of accidents tonight due to the storm.”
His pulse raced as he looked at the time on the dash. He didn’t have twenty minutes. He didn’t have five for that matter.
“Sir?”
Seth released the breath he had been holding. “Yes?”
“I need to get some more information from you.”
Seth heard a faint beep. He checked his screen. The low battery indicator flashed.
“Okay, but my battery is about to go dead.”
“Do you have a charger on you?”
“No,” he answered. “And I’m in the middle of nowhere, so I don’t have a way to charge it either.”
“What’s your name?”
“Seth Storm.”
The clacking ceased for a moment before starting back up again. He wondered for a moment if the dispatcher believed him, or if he thought that Seth didn’t want to tell him his
real
name.
“Where exactly is your vehicle located now?”
“I’m parked on the side of the road, about five to ten feet from the car in the ditch.” His phone beeped again.
“And you said that you can’t see anyone in it?”
“That’s right.” He looked at the car and leaned across his guitar, trying to get a better look. “It’s really dark out here, and the rain is coming down hard.” Another beep reminded Seth that the rain was the least of his problems now.
“Is there anyone else with you? Has anyone else stopped to help?”
He wanted to ask him why he would ask that question, but time was running out. All he wanted to do was get back on the road and away from this nightmare. He looked down the desolate road. Darkness had swallowed anything resembling civilization. “No. It’s just me.”
Beep.
“And you’re sure you can’t see anyone else in the other vehicle? No movement at all?”
“I already told you, it’s dark and it’s raining. I can’t see much of anything right now. You’re wasting time.”
“It’s important that you remain calm, Seth. I am just trying to gather as much information as I can to prepare the emergen…”
“Hello?” Seth looked at his screen, only to find it void of life. He tossed his phone over to the seat next to him and stared at the red car through the passenger-side window. Smoke continued to rise from its tailpipe, turning red as it passed in front of the taillights. If the driver had abandoned the vehicle, then why hadn’t he turned off his car? A feeling of dread settled in his stomach, making him queasy. “Because the driver never left.” He answered his own question.
He looked up and down the road for signs of help or, at the very least, a passing car. But it was as if everyone knew not to travel down this road, at this time of night, in this kind of storm. Everyone except the driver of the red car and Seth. He knew he should get out of his car and check it out, but he wasn’t trained for this type of situation. He was a musician for crying out loud, not a rescue worker. Besides, if he left now, he’d probably make his flight. If someone ever questioned him, he’d just tell the truth, that he’d done everything he could. After all, he was the one who had called for help. He glanced at the useless phone sitting on the passenger seat next to his guitar case and then over at the red car. His heart stopped and fell into his stomach. He could see the silhouette of a head in the driver’s seat.
Seth opened his car door and took his first steps into the cold rain. It ran down his head, instantly soaking his hair, pushing it into his forehead and eyes. Smoky breaths disappeared into the dark as he made his way over to the other car. A large flash of lightning startled him, but he kept walking forward. His nerves tingled with electricity as if charged by the storm itself. He or she is probably okay, he thought. Probably just in shock from the accident. But the closer he got, the heavier his heart felt. The front end of the car had crumpled like an accordion against a large rock on the far side of the ditch.
A small figure sat hunched over the steering wheel. Seth froze in the pouring rain, waiting to see if the driver would move. He knew he had to do something, so he placed his cold, numb hand on the door handle and gave it a tug. It opened with the first pull. The light inside the red car came on, revealing a woman. Her head rested on its side on the steering wheel with a half-inflated air bag in front of her. What he could see of her face was free from wrinkles and age. That and her trendy clothes had him guessing early twenties at the oldest.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She didn’t respond, and he wondered if she was sleeping. He hoped she was just sleeping. He scanned the rest of her—what he could see without moving her—for injury. Relief washed over him. No blood. No bones sticking out of her. Small pieces of glass spilled out onto the dashboard and passenger seat. He took a step closer but drew back instantly and tried to keep himself from throwing up. A piece of wood from a structure he couldn’t make out had broken apart and was now sticking out from the woman’s right side.
Seth pressed his right hand into his stomach and ran back to his car. He took a few deep breaths, but the image of the wood sticking out of her side kept popping into his mind. His stomach tightened and then released as everything inside it came up, burning his throat.