Radik felt a horrific jolt. For a fleeting moment, it was as if he snapped awake. As if he opened his eyes. All around him was a strange light. So much light.
He could feel his entire body trapped, squeezed by something. Every cell ached. A terrifying thought flashed through his mind—“Crash!” He couldn’t move a hand or a foot. All he could do was endure the excruciating pain coursing through him.
Radik glanced at the girl beside him. She was in the seat next to him, eyes closed as if asleep. The seatbelt had saved her. He understood that much. He tried to say something, or at least make a sound, but he couldn’t.
Suddenly, he began to feel his body growing cold, bit by bit. A thought raced through his mind: “This is it. I’m dying. God, no… I’m dying.”
The fear a person feels in their final moments forces them to relive their entire past. Some say that a dying person fully comprehends what’s happening to them. Yet, they’re powerless to do anything about it. And from that helplessness comes terror. That’s the fear of death.
In front of the car, Radik saw Veronica standing in a white dress. She beckoned to him with her hand. Radik knew this was the end. He remembered all too well that Veronica had been dead for a long time. Yet there she was, appearing right in front of the car on the road. He could clearly see the wind tousling her hair. She looked just as she had the last time they’d seen each other at the airport. Just as young. Just as beautiful.
Radik started to feel his body going numb, unresponsive. Sensation was slipping away. Slowly, things began to feel… oddly better. The pain seemed to be fading. It felt as though everything was already over. His grip on reality was slipping. Thoughts spun through his head like reels of film, replaying moments of his life.
At times, strange, unclear images—memories from the past—flashed before his eyes. And with them, the pain grew heavier. He wanted to close his eyes but couldn’t. His eyelids felt foreign, refusing to obey. Thoughts swirled chaotically in his mind. But somehow, he wasn’t scared anymore.
“Finally, you’ve come,” Veronica said without moving her lips. “And I get to see you again.”
“But you’re dead…” Radik somehow spoke, though it felt like he was thinking the words.
“And so are you now. Look at yourself… It’s over…”
“No… This can’t be… I don’t want this… You’re just a ghost… Just a dream…”
“Not a dream. Look at her.” She pointed at Vika, lying unconscious beside him. “Is she a dream too?”
“Nooo! This can’t be happening… This… I don’t believe it…”
“You’re dead,” Veronica repeated. “You’re dead now.”
“And you? What are you doing here? And…”
“I’ve been waiting for you. All this time. I’m cursed for what I did. But I’ve been allowed to meet you one last time. I’ve waited for this moment for ten long years.”
“Waited? Why?”
“For your forgiveness. If you don’t forgive me, I’ll be forced to wander, atoning for my sin.”
“And me?”
“I don’t know.”
Radik felt a strange lightness. He tried to stand, and to his surprise, he succeeded. His body no longer hurt at all. He felt whole again. Radik took a step and walked out of the car, right through the closed door. Oddly, it didn’t surprise him.
He turned back and saw his body. It lay lifeless, showing no signs of life. Fresh blood dripped from his mouth. His hand, still twitching, released the steering wheel and slid downward.
“So, I’m dead,” Radik stated. “And her?”
“She’s not. But she’s in critical condition. Call an ambulance while you still can,” Veronica replied.
“How? I’m already…”
“Just try.”
Radik returned to the car. He remembered clearly that his phone should be in his right pocket. He reached in, feeling his once-warm body. With all his focus, he imagined pulling the phone out of the pocket. Now, using sheer willpower, he tried to dial emergency services. At first, it didn’t work. But finally, it did.
He nearly shouted into the phone, “Ambulance! Help! There’s been an accident… On the highway… Not far…” The response came: “We’re sending a unit now.” Just as the words echoed, the phone slipped through Radik and fell to the ground. It was over. He was now a permanent resident of the spirit world.
“You did the right thing,” Veronica said.
“And what’s it to you?” Radik looked at Vika. “What happens next?”
“She’ll live. And you?”
“What about me?”
“Will you forgive me?”
“You, yes,” Radik answered. “But I can’t forgive myself!”
“I know everything. I was often near you. I saw it all. But I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t warn you. I couldn’t. I know what you’ve been through. I was cursed to wander until you forgave me. You know, it’s my fault things turned out this way. If it weren’t for that call, you wouldn’t be here now. You have every right to curse me for eternity.”
“And what good would that do me now? I’ve lost the most important thing I had. The thing I never truly valued. That’s it.”
“You still have a future. Victoria is carrying your child. She doesn’t even know it yet. But she will soon.”
Radik approached Veronica. He looked at her, remembering the moments they’d shared. Then he turned and glanced at the car where Vika lay. In the distance, he could already hear the wail of an ambulance siren.
Moments later, two ambulances and a patrol car arrived. Radik watched as people rushed around his vehicle, pulling the unconscious Victoria from the car and placing her into one of the ambulances before speeding off toward the city. He saw them extract his body, heard one of the medics say, “This one’s for the morgue. He’s gone.” But it no longer mattered. He observed everything unfolding. A few minutes later, he overheard one of the officers say, “This is weird. Who called the ambulance… from his phone?” The other replied, “Probably him… If he hadn’t, his girlfriend wouldn’t have made it either.”
“Radik,” Veronica called out. “It’s time for us to go!”