Enemy to Death

Chapter Two

   About 100 "Cedar Point" chants later, Ally was out like a light. That's how things seemed to go with her. A sudden burst of energy that lasts thirty minutes, then a crash.

Tony was enjoying the silence, leaning his head back with closed eyes. His music blasting in his ears, almost loud enough to be heard over the radio.

Aurora, though, felt like something was off. She hadn't realized it until now, but they were the only car going this way. In fact, they were the only car on the highway at all. She watched the cars going the opposite way speed past. It sent her into a panic.

As soon as she turned to tell her father something was wrong, they swerved off the road into the wooded area nearby.

It was a bit of a blur, Aurora definitely hitting her head in the process. When she gained consciousness back after a short couple minutes, it took a minute to understand what she was looking at. The car was turned on it's side, driver's side door and her door pinned to the ground. Her brother and her sister were out of sight. Although, the other door was wide open. As soon as she gained the courage, her hand reached and unbuckled her belt. Her head was throbbing. She reached a hand to touch the spot, immediately feeling blood.

Hand shaking now, she pulled herself up to rest on the side of the driver's seat. In doing so, she saw her father. Head smashed against the window. Clearly unconscious, no sign of breathing. She reminded herself that now was not the time to be grieving. Not yet, anyways.

The hole in the windshield led her to her mother. She was breathing.

Aurora made quick work of pulling herself up, getting out of the car through the hole. She ignored the pain in her hands as glass impaled her. She caught her breath once on the grass, looking down at her bloody hands and knees.

She made her move to stand up, wanting to look for her siblings, but heard a gunshot. Immediately, she froze. Another one. She backed herself against the car, hand covering her mouth. Careful footsteps on the earth, getting closer.

Tears welled in her eyes, gaze darting from her mom to the car to her bloody knees. This was it. She was done for.

"Thank God," a relieved voice.

Aurora's eyes immediately shot open, looking up at her equally as bloody older brother. She immediately relaxed. "Don't say that. Why do you have dad's gun?"

"Seriously? We almost just died in a car crash and you're worried about taking the lord's name in vain?"

Tony's eyes rolled at his sister's pleading look.

"I think I should just show you."

He reached down, pulling her up to her feet. Across the field, at least ten stumbling figures, all groaning and crying, were approaching.

"So. That being...said. We need to get the fuck out of here."

"Where's Ally?"

Tony turned around, the girl all but clinging to his back. "Grab anything you can carry from the trunk, and let's go."

They were quick with what they did, grabbing bags they knew were useful. "Who's gonna carry mom?" Aurora brought up as they slung bags over their shoulders.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but neither of us. She's not coming."

"Anthony. We are not just leaving her here."

"Do you even know what's going on? Do you understand that we can't risk anything right now?"

"She's our mother."

"And she's dying. You didn't see it, I did. She's bleeding out."

Aurora didn't say anything. Tony took that as their cue to go. He gestured with his head to the path back up to the highway.

She saw now what she hadn't seen before. The blood soaked grass, covering the area around her mother's head.