The Day I Came Back to Life

“The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, each breath a searing pain. Ryan Todd' s rage-contorted face was inches from mine, his spittle hitting my cheek as he screamed, "This is for Ashley! You owe us!" His fist connected with my ribs again, and a sickening crack echoed through the co-working space. The social media mob, whipped up by his sister Karen, cheered him on as they dragged me from my desk, beating me to death. My crime? Lending Karen my Lucid Air, which then became a death trap for her daughter, Ashley, in a multi-car pile-up on the I-35. Karen, a master of twisting reality, claimed I' d sabotaged my own car, jealous of Ashley' s athletic scholarship. It was a lie so absurd it became believable to the grief-stricken and the gullible. The final blow sent me sprawling, my head hitting the polished concrete floor with a dull thud, and darkness swallowed me. I had been hunted, blamed, destroyed, and murdered for a crime I didn' t commit, a tragedy built on a lie. Then, I gasped, sitting bolt upright in my bed, my heart hammering but my ribs unbroken. My phone buzzed on the nightstand: Good luck with your neighbor today! My blood ran cold. It was the morning Karen Todd would ask to borrow my car. I wasn' t dead. I was back. And this time, not only would the car stay with me, but Karen would pay for what she did.”