The Calm Before The Storm

Snow

~Chloe~

You know... it's kinda funny.

I remember having this quote written above my door in my old house, one that says: One day your whole life will flash before your eyes.

I never believed it, I never really had a reason to. 

My stupidity and anger made me feel invincible and dying never scared me, but when the truck crashes after rolling over and over and over on the cold road, knocking us both unconscious, my whole life does flashes before my eyes. 

I relive moments of my life that I had so desperately tried to leave behind. I relive every memory I've had with my Dad, my Mom, all my friends... Rachael... Max.

It feels like reality is crumbling around me. I... I can feel myself slipping away, feel my life melting away.

 I can hear dad calling my name, telling me how much he loves me, and how it's okay to let go. I can hear Rachel's soft sweet voice too, calling to me, begging me to come to her, so that we can finally be together, be together in the way that I've always wanted.

 A very small part of me wants to see them, wants the pain to be over, wants to follow the tantalizing white light, but I push against that urge with everything I have left, screaming "I'm not leaving her" over and over again in my head.

 This is my second chance and I promised I'd make the most of it, I promised Max that I'd always be with her. There's no fucking way I'm letting go that easily, for once in a very long time... I have something to live for.

As if reading my thoughts, the voices and light recede, leaving me in complete darkness with the sensation of free falling downward. I continue to fall towards the nothingness below me, down, down.

Then, I hit the ground.

My eyes shoot open and I start gasping for breath, feeling as if I just fell back into my body. Everything is fuzzy and my head is pounding rhythmically to the beat of my heart. My ears are ringing too, making it hard to hear anything... not that there's anything to hear. When my vision comes into focus, I see that I'm... I'm...laying face down on the dashboard. Pain fills my body as I try to sit up, my ribs and head throbbing. I'm covered in both snow, glass, and blood. My stomach churns at the sight of the sickly red liquid that oozes from my nose and several cuts on my face and body.

I cough painfully and try to move, but pain explodes from my side and I grunt, "Fuck,". 

I settle back in my seat, my mind reeling over what just happened.

Max and I... wait... Max.

Max!

The name explodes into my mind, sending a wave of pain throughout my body. "Max!" I scream. The left side of the truck is almost completely crushed, the bent and twisted metal being pressed in by the tree we must have crashed into. The steering wheel has been jammed up, pinning Max against the seat, the round disk nearly crushing her chest. Momentary relief washes over me as I see the back of her shirt moving up and down, signifying that she's still breathing. But her breathing is quick, and she's struggling for each breath.

I push my door open and fall into the snow, barely able to hold myself up. Everything hurts, everything hurts so much but I press on, powering through the pain. My already injured foot slows me down, but I use what's left of the truck for support as I hobble over to the driver's side try to pry the door open. It's stuck at first, but after a few punches and tugs, it rips away.

Max moans in pain as I pull her from the wreck and lay her on the snowy ground. That's when I notice her leg is splayed at a very painful looking angle. She's unconscious, I can tell that much. A steady flow of blood drips from a deep cut above her brow line. There's blood coming from her chest too, turning her white turtleneck shirt and gray hoodie a deep shade of crimson. She's pale too, making her look almost... lifeless.

"Max...".

How...?

What...?

Why did this happen?!

Her powers are supposed to protect her!

How is she hurt?

Why is she like this, it doesn't make any sense!

I don't under-

Max coughs, breaking me out of my panicked thoughts.

"Max!".

The blood dripping from her nose is starting to clog, and she basically starts to choke on her own blood until I roll Max onto her side.

 She starts breathing a small bit easier then, but I sure as hell don't.

I'm basically at the point of hyperventilating, but for some reason, I'm not screaming and yelling at the top of my lungs.

I must be in shock, I think, looking down at my violently shaking hands.

Thick, warm blood covers my cold bare skin, making my stomach is churning again. I scramble to the side and start vomiting until I'm left visibly shaking.

Help... we need help, I think to myself turning back to Max, who's already shallow breathing is getting slower and slower.

"Max..." I mumble, struggling to move back to her, "P- please... h- hold on".

I fumble for my phone (which somehow managed to stay in my pocket) and dial 9-1-1. When someone on the other side picks up,

I don't even give them a chance to talk. "P- please, you... you've gotta help... s- she won't wake up, she won't wake up!" I cry, the hysteria finally catching up to me, "I c- can't l- lose her too,".

When I finish talking, a woman's voice breaks through the static, "Ma'am, please remain calm. What's the nature of your emergency?".

I take a breath before answering, "Me... girlfriend... nhhg, there was an... we crashed," I mutter, tripping over my own words, "Car accident".

"Okay... can you tell me your location?" the woman asks calmly, her voice sounding more and more echoey.

I look around for a street sign but find my vision is starting to swim, making it impossible to see or read anything. "... I don't... can't.... See,". The world around me is starting to warp, the edges of my peripheral vision becoming shrouded in darkness. My body soon becomes unresponsive as I fall back into the snow, unable to move, or answer the woman as she continues to talk.

The cold and pain continue until it becomes too much for me to handle... so I let it take me