May you be in Heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.– Old Irish blessing
Saturday
2:37 PM
Michael could feel the warm blood running down his face. Fully regaining consciousness, he had no idea where he was, or what had happened. He tried to lift his eyelids, but they wouldn't budge. Moving any part of his body failed, so he just lay there, with an overwhelming feeling of having been pressed inside a small box. His head felt very heavy, as if doubled in size, and a rushing sound in his ears stifled his hearing. Indistinct voices warbled nearby, but he couldn't quite figure out whom they belonged to, or what they were saying.
As he opened his eyes, his vision blurred. After a few seconds, the inside of his car came into focus and his mind flashed through the last scenes in his memory. I was driving...there was a bend in the road...and sunlight reflecting off the grill of a truck...
His stomach lurched as he stared straight ahead. Oh, my God.
The tractor-trailer and his car sat inter-twisted at the front, a pair of grotesquely conjoined twins. The jagged edges of his exploded windshield framed his view of the crumpled wreckage and an acrid smoke drifted in searing his nose.
With great effort, he moved his head an inch and glanced downward. The car's steering wheel and dashboard lay crushed against his chest. He couldn't even see his legs, let alone move them.
Tilting his head upright again, a thick, warm liquid rose up the back of his throat and a rusty, unpleasant taste crept into his mouth. He'd been elbowed on the basketball court enough times to know – it's blood. At that moment, a very strange question popped into his head. Shouldn't I be in tremendous pain? Why don't I feel any pain? Oddly enough, he didn't feel any sort of fear or panic, either.
A peaceful, detached calm settled inside him and his mind slowly drifted back to the beginning of this beautiful spring day. He remembered his plans and how excited he'd been. Well...I guess my day's not gonna go as planned.
One breath later, his body shuddered, his sight faded and his heart stopped.
YOU ARE READING
THE GHOST CHRONICLES
Teen FictionTHE GHOST CHRONICLES by Marlo Berliner is a YA paranormal with adult crossover appeal, perfect for fans of If I Stay and the movie Ghost. Can Michael get to heaven before the devil gets him first, and if it means leaving Sarah is he sure he still w...
