WARNING: BITS OF THIS ARE SERIOUSLY GROSS. SO IF YOU'RE A TAD BIT SQUEAMISH BE WARNED xD
And also thanks so much for the great comments guys! xx
Chapter Three
I'm going to die.
That was my only thought as the van somersaulted through the air, straight into the path of the oncoming traffic. When I caught sight of the huge Range Rover about to hit us head on, however, my brain thought of something slightly more creative. It went something like; oh, fuck. I'm gonna die and it's gonna hurt like hell.
Oddly enough, I still felt perfectly calm. Gingy, on the other hand, was far from it. He was screaming for all he was worth, clutching the steering wheel like it could somehow save him. But it couldn't, and it didn't.
The Range Rover ploughed into Gingys' side of the van, crushing him. His screams turned into wet gurgles as blood filled his airways, and after a few seconds he fell silent.
If I'd had time to realize that he'd just died, I might have started freaking out right around then. But the van was still skidding along the road from the other vehicles impact, and we were dangerously close the edge of the bridge.
That's right, we were on bridge.
I started yelling for all I was worth, yanking at my seat belt with every bit of strength in me. I even tried biting it, I was that desperate. But I was no vampire, and the belt really was jammed, so I stayed where I was.
As the van started to tip forward I caught a glimpse of the murky water beneath me, rushing under the bridge at a frightening speed. Oh, God. Drowning was worse than being crushed.
A horrible, terrified scream escaped my lips as the van finally fell, hitting the water with a deafening splash. Almost immediately the inside began to flood, the freezing cold water soaking into my clothes and chilling me to the bone. I'd given up tugging at my belt by then and was frantically searching the glove compartment for something - anything - that might help me free myself.
Chewing gum wrappers, Gingys' dirty magazines, an empty water bottle, numerous pens...nothing that would help. The water was up to my elbows now, rising more with each precious second that passed.
As a last resort, I jammed my hands into Gingys' grungy old rucksack. And...Jack pot! Wrapping my fingers tightly around his craft knife, I withdrew my hand from the disgusting bag. I flicked it open and sawed through my belt, cutting my hand in my desperation.
The water was up to my shoulders now. I cut through the last little bit of the belt and took a huge breath, forcing the door open with my feet.
Thankfully there was enough adrenaline burning through my system by now that the fast flow of the water didn't bother me all that much. I kicked up to the surface, my lungs screaming for air.
Finally I made it, and I gulped in huge breaths of oxygen, replenishing my starved body. Almost instantly I was caught by someone, and they dragged me out of the water and onto the grassy river bank. I curled up into a ball and ignored the people who were standing watching, too tired to do anything else.
I heard the wail of sirens in the distance, and someone wrapped a thick coat securely around my shivering shoulders.
"It's okay, you're gonna be alright..." Murmured the woman who'd given up her coat, wrapping an arm around me and waving towards the paramedics.
"Just don't let those guys stick any needles in me." I muttered, and shuddered. That got me a few strange looks from my audience. 'Uh, hello people? Needles hurt like hell!' I felt like saying, but I couldn't be bothered to open my mouth again.
I must have passed out then, because the next thing I knew I was laying in a hospital bed wearing one of those really ugly paper gowns they love putting patients in. And guess what? I had a bloody needle stuck in my arm!
I sat up and started to poke at it, grossly curious. Unfortunately a passing nurse chose that moment to look in on me, and she caught me messing with it.
"That's what's supplyin' you with pain relief, so I wouldn't if I were you." She warned. To my surprise (and great amusement) she had a thick Irish accent. I looked up at her and sighed, leaving the needle alone.
"How long have I been out?" My voice sounded dry and cracked, and swallowing was really painful. The nurse grabbed my charts and started to flick through them super fast. While she did so I stared at her hair enviously. It was a deep auburn color, and she had it done up in an intricate braid that totally suited her. How did people manage that sort of thing?
"Couple of hours, four tops. We knocked you because you were making such a fuss about your head." Her green eyes sparkled in amusement. My head? What the hell?
I felt around on my forehead, searching for a wound. It was just above my left temple, and the stitches felt tight and prickly to touch. "You were very lucky. That's the only injury you've got, apart from a few cuts and bruises." She continued.
"What about Gingy? Is he..." I grimaced, remembering his desperate screaming. The nurse raised an eyebrow at me.
"You mean Mr. Greenland? Yes, he's dead. I'm sorry." Mr. Greenland was Gingys' real name. I grimaced and realized I just wanted to get back to the foster home, even if that meant having fifty kids knocking on my door asking for gruesome details, and Corinne setting explosions off upstairs.
I asked the nurse about this and she cheered up a little bit. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," She smiled, straightening my blankets for me. "One of your supervisors is bringing some kids to see you. She mentioned one in particular, Corinne? She said the kid was practically begging to come visit the hospital!" My jaw dropped in horror. The crazy child wanted to come see the hospital, not me. Oh, God. She was probably going to steal some scalpels or something.
"Oh my God, do not let her near here! Seriously, she's bloody dangerous-" And that's when Andre, Joseph, Corinne, and half of the other kids from the home walked in.
"Sky!" Yelled Corinne, and launched herself at me. The nurse took one look at Corinne and all the other kids that were looking at me like I was some amazing science experiment and walked briskly away.
She was one wise woman.
