The Power Of Night

The Fade

Delaney didn't speak in the car. She rubbed the goose bumps arising on her arms.
Her jacket. She'd left it in Carter's car before they switched to Brady's. It didn't bother Delaney for long. The cold would go away, she would go away, everything would go away in just a little while.

She had excepted her decision, now why couldn't the tears cease to show themselves. She did all in her power to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry."

Carter said, with one hand on the the wheel, the other gripping his mouth.

If this was about Delaney rejecting his kiss, then Carter wasn't sure of what he was apolgizing for, only he knew it needed to be said.

Delaney didn't answer back.
Instead she focused on the chill of the air blasting through the vents. Filling the car with solid air, that Delaney expected to vaporize her breath any minute.

She remembered the feel of Carter's warm hand in hers. Like stream of livley health being linked together, as the source tried to help one without draining themselves completely.

Only Delaney saw it  as an anchor, instead of being tosed to the water it gripped the land without budge. Like a bird wantimg to fly, but chaining it to the ground.

The buildings of the towns started to decrease as it reached the city's edge. The river would appear at it's borders, thus the bridge. As civilization continued to vanish, a rapping sounded on the windshield.
The rain gradually beat the life out of the chugging car, as if its mission was to work it's way inside, even if it meant pulling the vehicle appart.

"I'm sorry." Carter repeated,

Glancing over at Delaney.
Sbe saw his irritated eyes, and this time decided to answer.

"I get it."

"No, I don't think you do,"

He shakes his head at the wet blury road.

"I don't think you get it at all."

Delaney shrunk in her seat, she watched the world wash by from her soaked window.
Maybe the water would seep through the cracks enough to fill the car entirely, to put this car ride to an end.

"I spend all night with you, trying to save you. But did it ever occur to you that some of it might be for me?!"

He breathes out all at once, so fast that his body isn't prepared for his next breath, so it pauses itself. His freezes into a tight grip on the wheel, so firm it causes his knuckles to shake.

Delaney scowls,

"For you?! Yeah I knew what was in it for you, maybe the part of getting a hookup before the night was over-"

Carter cut her off with a groan,

"Well I guess you're a hundred percent aware of my motives, Delaney."

He snarls eradicating sarcasm. As he breathes, the rain intensifies.

"I thought you were having a good time! I thought you were changing your mind about killing yourself! I thought you liked me as much as I liked you!"

Delaney started to squirm in her seat, he liked her. Her, as in herself. Finally Delaney was boiling, from frustration, from Carter's presence, from her feelings atlast reaching the hot temperature.

She banged her fists on the dash, thinking,

I don't know what's wrong with me.

Her yells turned into sobs as she failed to sheild herself from his view.
Because she knew from the start that Carter cared for her, he would never get out of her head, he could never leave her.

Carter couldn't stop his fury there,

"Did you learn nothing from tonight? You didn't find anything worth staying for?"

He whipes sweat from his brow, and lets his hand grip his forehead.

The worst thing of was delaney did learn something, something that angerd her most of all.

"I did actually! That's what sucks!" She yells from her seat.

"What!?" He yells taking his eyes of the road and on to her.

In her side vision Delaney sees it. The figure dash infront of the car on to the road, the vast trees hidding it untill it could blaze in the headlights.

"Carter! Look out!"

She screams as Carter jolts the wheel on impulse away from the animal, the tires skid around it.

The steering wheel is useless as he turns it hopelessly against the lost controll.

His foot pounds on the break to put the skidding to a hault, only the roads doused in rain seem to overrule the car's mechanisms.

The hydroplaning car continued to spin, Delaney could only cry out these words.

"I don't want to die!"

She girp her hand across to Carter's arm. Surely the car would go off road and this would be the end.

Instead it skidded to a stop.
The car sit backwords to the way they had been driving, the only sound was their heaving breaths and pounding hearts.
Untill Carter said,

"Me either."