Ash to Ash, Dust to Dust, Life is Short so Party We Must

Chapter One

I sat tapping my foot impatiently in the back seat of my dad's Toyota Camry.

"Hurry up mom!" My little brother, Sam, yelled from the car, his blond curls bouncing up and down.

"Dad honk the horn." I said and received no response, "Dad, honk the horn." I pressed.

"I don't honk the horn at your mother, Alex." Shaking my head, I began tapping my foot again.

"I just want ice cream." My older sister Lilly said looking up. She flipped her long dirty blond hair out of her face and continued texting her boyfriend.

I was the only one in my family with black hair, that is of course because I dyed it. I guess I just got tired of being perceived as stupid for having blond hair. All three of us kids had freckles across our cheeks, Sam having the most, me having the least. Everyone else had brown eyes as well but my eyes are, "as blue as the sky", as my dad had put it. I heard the door open and my mother casually walked out, hopping into the car.

"Took you long enough." Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Samuel!" My father glared

Sam shrugged and buckled up. My dad backed out of the driveway and made his way towards the highway. Putting in my head phones, I turned of some Megadeth.

"We can hear your music!" Sam yelled in my face.

I nodded and turned my music up even louder to the point where it was painful to listen to. My mom turned around in her seat and said something I couldn't make out.

"What? I can't hear you!" I laughed, my ears throbbing.

Lilly punched me in the arm, I winced and punched her back.

"Dammit," my dad looked back at us for a split second, "Cut it out!"

As he did so, he unknowingly drifted into the other lane. As he did so, I caught a glimpse of something coming around the bed, straight our way, and it was big. Suddenly the rest of the vehicle was revealed, it was a semi, and it was speeding.

My mom, who had been facing us, turned and screamed. My head was whipped painfully towards the window, and then nothing but black.

I awoke at least 20 feet away from my car, dazed and confused. My head pounded and my neck was excessively stiff, I couldn't move it. I struggled to stay awake, my struggled breaths were becoming weaker and weaker. There was as several people crowded around me in blurry splotches, moving around frantically. Their voices were garbled in my ringing ears and I squeezed my eyes shut, telling myself I was just dreaming.

"My family." I sputtered out, sick with realization. I tried to sit up but grueling stinging sensation in my side, growing into excruciating pain. I looked down and saw a piece of metal imbedded in my skin, right between my ribs.

Behind a woman pouring a bottle of water on my wound, was my car, flipped and smoking. I looked at the semi which was partially in the ditch, a liquid leaked out and ran across the pavement and creeped towards my car.

Three men and a burly woman stood around my car, talking to someone inside, Sam. A man, who I assumed was the semi driver, stood talking on the phone frantically, waving his hands and glancing repeatedly at the car. My frustration grew as I could not hear what Sam was saying.

"You have to get them out." I said weakly.

The four people were joined by two others as they attempted to flip the car but it was no use. They called over others who stopped on their way passing by.

Suddenly someone shouted, "Get away from the car!"

I sat up quickly and cried out in pain, just to see an eruption of flames and metal. Glass showered me and car parts flew through the air, one of which I saw coming towards me. I threw myself back and a metal pipe flew right over my head as if it was thrown like a spear.

People blocked my vision, all I could see past them was flames burning high in the sky. The pain of sitting up was so harsh I was beginning to doze off. My breath was raspy and painful as I lay, terrified and on the verge of crying.
My eyes fluttered shut and I just listened, listened to chaos.

An ambulance came out of no where and paramedics rushed out, towards me. I heard more sirens in the distance as the paramedics loaded me onto a stretcher and into the ambulance in a quick but painful manner.

As I was loaded into the back of the ambulance, I forced my eyes open. There were flames from my car that reached the clouds. But before the doors closed I saw the smoldering remains of my car. There was nothing left, absolutely nothing. Then, I passed out again.