Living Dead//Calum Hood AU

Prologue

Saffron's POV

"I wanna get lost and drive forever with you," slurred Calum, his grip on the steering wheel loosening slightly.

I glanced at him sideways in worry. "Cal, I think you've had too much to drink."

"Aw, babe!" he chuckled, taking his gaze off the windscreen to look at me. "I feel absolutely fiiiiine."

He didn't sound that fine to me.
"Calum, concentrate on driving!" I said nervously.

"You can't tell me what to do, you're not my mum," he laughed drunkenly. "Actually-"

"For fuck's sake, Cal-" I started exasperatedly just before I saw the lorry charging towards us at 60 miles per hour.

I barely had time to register what was happening.

Everything seemed to slow down.

I reached over and tried to steer out of the way of the massive vehicle using my minuscule knowledge of driving but it was too late. The lorry driver obviously hadn't expected there to be a car driving the opposite way in the wrong lane because his expression was completely neutral until the very last millisecond.

Calum's car crumpled immediately on impact, spinning off to the right across two lanes. Calum himself was thrown out of the driver's seat and face-forward into the windscreen which shattered into tiny pieces.

I, meanwhile, had been responsible enough to have worn a seatbelt. However it restrained me from any movement as the car finally fell onto its side and the window to my left broke into pieces as well, one shard
embedding itself into my cheek.

I groaned in pain as I felt my vision start to blur but my main priority was Calum. I knew it wasn't a good idea for him to drive while he was so intoxicated. I struggled against the seatbelt and the door and gasped as a sharp sting of pain shot through one of my legs; I was so disorientated I couldn't tell which one it was. Was my leg broken? Instead, I tried twisting my head around so that I could see where he was but the sheer effort led me to black out.

• • • • • • • • • •

"Miss Ranger," I heard a distance voice say. "Miss Ranger, can you hear me?"

I forced my drooping eyelids open and blinked slowly, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, completely disorientated.

The woman wearing white overalls heaved a sigh of relief and before I could process anything else, my mum was in front of me and then enveloping me in a hug.

"Be careful, miss. You wouldn't want to injure her any further," warned the woman (who I presumed was a nurse).

"Oh, Saff," sobbed my mother into my shoulder, completely oblivious to the nurse's warning. "How could you? How many times have I told you not to talk to that boy?"

All of a sudden, the events of however long ago it happened flooded back into my mind. My immediate thought was 'Where's Calum?'

I looked around the ward, sitting up against the bedstead, wincing slightly due to the pain that shot up my spine. The nurse gave me a disapproving look. "You really shouldn't-" she started.

"I've told you so many times that he has a corrupt background and a bad family-" my mother continued.

"Where is Calum?" I spoke out loud, my voice coming out croaky.

"What?" asked my mother in exasperation. "I just told you that he's a bad influence. Saff, honey, you could've died." Her lower lip trembled. "I can't believe you did this Saffron. After all the times I warned you. I just can't get over it- A bar, Saffron? At your age?"

I shook my head. "Mum, where's Calum?" I asked more urgently. "I need to see him."

"Saffron, listen to me."

"No mum, answer me first. Please. Where's Cal?" I repeated, my heart thudding against my chest.

"I'm sorry honey," she said softly. Her face betrayed no emotion.

"No," I croaked, tightening my grip on the sheet which was bunched around my waist.

"He didn't make it."

××××××××××

well well well, here we have yet another fanfiction.

the credit for the story idea goes to @thisisall4you, thank you for letting me write this.