Chapter 3 — The Rain Stops, I Also Awake From Dreaming

I just feel cold. It was so cold that my teeth kept rubbing against each other. There are no street lights on the highway, in the distance there are only occasional passing car lights. Every time a car passed by, the huge gust of wind seemed to want to sweep me into the lane. I clung to the railing and gradually moved towards the place where the phone had just fallen. The shoes were filled with water, each step made a heavy sound. At the foot of the railing is all murky water and weeds. I squatted down and searched, my fingers touching a cold metal object. It's a phone. The screen was broken, flashing and then going dark, like a light about to go out. I pressed the power button several times. No response. Rainwater flows inside through cracks. I stuffed it into my pocket, my fingertips were so cold I almost lost feeling. The dark sign ahead shook in the rain. The nearest exit is more than ten kilometers away. I can't walk there. But I can't just stay here. I took a deep breath, forced myself to walk forward along the railing. Every step is painful. It felt like there was a piece of glass stuck in my knee. A car rushed past, the water splashed straight into my waist. I was pushed into the railing, my arm was torn and burned. I took a few deep breaths, looked up and saw a reflective sign a few dozen meters away. In the back there appears to be the entrance to a small maintenance road. I want to go there to stay temporarily. But just after taking two steps, suddenly a shrill siren sounded in the distance. A strong light shined straight. I instinctively raised my hand to cover my eyes. The car decelerated. It's not Tham Hao's car. On the roof of the car, red and blue lights flashed alternately. Someone ran with a flashlight in the middle of the rain. “Miss!” “Why are you on the highway?” I opened my mouth, my voice hoarse from the rain. “I was left here.” The other person's steps stopped. "What?" I clung to the railing and finally couldn't hold on anymore, my knees went weak and I knelt down. The flashlight shines on my face. The other person immediately ran to help. “Don't move.” “You are injured.” I grabbed his sleeve. “Help me call the police.” “I remember the license plate number.” Another person behind hastily spoke into the radio: "Found a woman left in the emergency stop lane of the highway, suspected of being injured and hypothermic." “Quickly notify the emergency room.” Hearing the words "hypothermia", I realized I was shaking very violently. Rainwater splashed on the ground, drops falling onto the back of my hand. I looked at the dark line of cars ahead and had difficulty uttering a sentence. “There are also cameras.” “There is also a rest stop.” The person supporting me lowered his voice and said: "Don't worry." “Tonight will not end that easily.” I closed my eyes. But the next second, another voice rang out over the intercom. “Three kilometers ahead, a series of collisions occurred.” “It involved a black car.” "The license plate's tail highly matches the description just reported." My fingertips immediately stiffened. Something happened to Tham Hao's car. 05 When the ambulance door closed, the sound of the rain immediately became much farther away. There was a smell of disinfectant in the car and the sound of plastic curtains being gently moved by the wind. When the nurse cut off my pant leg, I lowered my head and saw my knees covered in blood and mud. The wound was soaked in rainwater until it turned white, the edge of the skin peeling off like a torn piece of cloth. “Just bear with it a little.” The nurse said. When killing insects
When I touched it, it hurt so much that my fingers clenched the edge of the stretcher. The traffic police officer next to me gave me a dry towel. “Wipe your hair first.” “What's your name?” I replied hoarsely: "Manh Duong." “Do you remember your ID number?” I nodded, reading each number. His voice was very steady, but the notebook in his hand was constantly getting wet with rainwater. “Just now you said your husband chased you out of the car, grabbed and threw your phone away.” "Right?" “Not chasing.” I looked at the white light on the ceiling of the car. “It's about kicking me down.” The nurse's movements stopped. The policeman also raised his head. I added: “His mother is in the car.” “She forced me to kneel down and apologize before accepting me back.” The car was silent for a few seconds. There was only the sound of the machine making a "whirring" sound. The policeman's expression became more serious. “Don't worry, we will extract cameras along the way.” “Is your phone still usable?” I gave him the bag. “It's been soaked in water.” “There's a lot of evidence in there.” He opened the sealed bag and put his phone in. “Just preserve it first.” “Later, data recovery will be carried out.” I nodded. At that moment, outside the ambulance, the sound of rapid footsteps was heard again. Someone outside shouted: "Three people were injured in the collision ahead." "The driver of the black car was slightly injured, the passenger in the passenger seat was angry, the driver of the car behind him was injured in the leg." My heart sank slightly. Not because of heartache. But because it feels ridiculous. They left me in the middle of the heavy rain, thinking I would kneel down and beg them. As a result, not long after driving, the car crashed into another person's car. The nurse looked at me. “Do you know the person in the black car?” I don't deny it. “It's my husband and mother-in-law.” She frowned.