Alexander hit the dirt and rolled a few times beforeing to a stop. He couldn''t feel a thing, and his mind was getting all fuzzy. He felt as if he were drowning, gasping for air.
He nced up at the sky, where the stars were all twisted and blurry.
In his daze, a memory from earlier that day popped into his head.
Quinn, sitting on her horse, had turned back to look at him.
She seemed to be smiling at him as she rode away, getting smaller and smaller in the distance.
Her smile was just like when they were kids.
This was the first time Alexander felt like he was knocking on death''s door. Weirdly enough, it felt kinda peaceful.
But just as he was about to close his eyes for good, he heard a familiar voice.
"What''s wrong with you?"
Alexander''s eyes flickered, but he couldn''t move.
He forced a bitter smile. He thought, ''So, am I really gonna die? I actually heard Quinn''s voice.''
It was so dark that Quinn couldn''t see who was lying on the ground. She fumbled around her horse and pulled out an oxygen tank from her pack.
She had brought the oxygen tank for herself. Even though she''d been here for a while, she still hadn''t fully gotten used to the altitude, so she always carried one with her.
She ced the oxygen mask on Alexander''s face and said, "Breathe deep."
Oxygen rushed into his nose, and Alexander''s fingers twitched. Almost instinctively, he took a deep breath.
Finally, he grabbed the oxygen tank himself, sucking in the air like a starving man at a buffet.
Quinn frowned and handed him the tank. "Your altitude sickness is so bad. Why''d youe to a ce like this? And you''re running around outside in the middle of the night. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she asked. Alexander slowly came back to his senses. As he heard her nonstop chatter, his fingers suddenly tightened.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard Quinn ask, "Where did youe from? Are you lost?"
The words he was about to say got swallowed back.
So, she didn''t recognize him.
He sat up from the ground. Even though he couldn''t see clearly, his gaze still locked onto Quinn''s face, staring at her intently.
He lifted his fingers, wanting to touch her cheek.
But afraid it was just a hallucination, he hesitated, not daring to get closer.
Quinn talked for a while, but seeing he didn''t respond, she got up to leave.
Suddenly, her wrist tightened as Alexander grabbed her.
"What are you doing?" Quinn asked, frowning.
Alexander still didn''t speak, just held onto her like he was afraid she''d disappear.
Quinn really needed to leave. She had been nning to head back, worried that if she returnedte, Walter would find out and not let her go out again.
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But she hadn''t expected Alexander to suddenly rush out and copse beside her. If he had fallen a bit off, the horse''s hooves could have trampled him to death.
Quinn struggled a couple of times, and in the distance, lights flickered. She saw a car approaching.
Startled, Quinn shook off Alexander and ran towards her horse.
She thought she had saved someone she shouldn''t have and wanted to avoid trouble by leaving quickly.
But as soon as she mounted her horse, she felt a weight behind her. Before she could turn around, Alexander''s hands reached over her, grabbing the reins. With a kick to the horse''s belly, the horse instantly bolted. Quinn instinctively grabbed the saddle. She tried to speak several times, but the cold wind filled her mouth, freezing her tongue.
Seeing they were getting farther away, Quinn became anxious.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.
She turned her head to avoid the cold wind and said to Alexander, "Stop right now!"
She shouted, "Do you hear me? I saved you out of kindness, and you repay me like this?"
Alexander, behind her, remained silent, controlling the horse as it galloped across the prairie.
Quinn, frustrated, reached for the reins in his hands. They tugged at the reins, and the horse, unsure of where to go, charged wildly in an unknown direction.