The Beneath
Copyright© 2025 by Heel
Chapter 9: The Edge
Morning came slowly, a pale light seeping through the hospital blinds. For a few blessed seconds after waking, Stella felt empty — no voices, no feelings, no memories. Just stillness.
Then it all returned.
The pain in her legs. The weight of the casts. And, worst of all, the echo of the man’s voice: You killed her.
The words repeated like a heartbeat she couldn’t silence. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drive them away, but they clung to her, alive and merciless.
He had told her what happened — how his wife had tried to help her, how one flailing movement, one unlucky strike, had ended a life. She still couldn’t remember it, but the guilt filled in the blanks, painting the memory for her in relentless detail.
When the nurse came to check her vitals, Stella smiled faintly, pretending she was fine. But the moment she left, the mask cracked. She heard the nurse’s thoughts drift back through the half-open door — Poor thing, she looks so fragile... — and the pity cut deeper than any bone pain.
The ward around her was full of quiet suffering. Machines beeped, curtains rustled, and inside every sound, she could feel what people weren’t saying. Fear. Regret. Pain. The emotions pressed against her mind, merging with her own guilt until she could no longer tell which belonged to her.
She tried to breathe through it. To separate herself from the flood. But it was like drowning in invisible water — each wave carrying another person’s pain, each one heavier than the last.
Her guilt twisted, deepened. If I hadn’t panicked ... if I hadn’t fallen ... she’d still be alive.
She pressed her palms against her temples, shaking her head. “Stop,” she whispered. “Please, stop.”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.