Wrong Actions

1. Loss

I swept my billowing cloak of endless material around my body and paced quickly down the grimy pavement leading my companion. A thin fog hung over the town so I could only see to the end of the short street I traipsed down. The concrete beneath me endured the rhythmic slams of my old, black boots and my arms swung by my sides in tight fists. I clicked my tongue quietly as I thought of what wisdom I could enlighten my friend with. “When will you learn young one? The path is long but it must be trodden to get to where you want to go.” My eyes became narrow as the words slithered from my mouth; rehearsed a thousand times. I continued travelling down the street, already decided on the place I wanted to be.

My friend finally spoke in response, with a strong and ruling voice, her tone strict. “Please! Just stop! For one day! I can stand your crap to a certain degree; you can wear your weird clothes and have your freaky hairstyle but just stop talking like you just jumped out of a stereotypical, fantasy wizard story.” Her hands swiped the air gesticulating, demonstrating her strong emotions. Her face portrayed the same, anger and embarrassment.

She just doesn’t have the imagination… Shame…

I laughed, maybe a little too abruptly, from the easy control I had of her mood, and choked fighting for breath. “Look at you going all intelligent on me!- OW!” Her fist connected with my thin arm, propelled by the force of her daily routine in the gym. A routine I had never taken up due to my lazy attitude. “I am intelligent!... I just don’t show it much… At any time.” She muttered in a low voice then an awkward silence hung for a moment.

That moment stopped suddenly as a roar of laughter tore from between my lips. “That is the greatest explanation of the lack of IQ I have ever heard!” I continued walking down the street, giggling at my quick comeback, but stopped when I realised no one was walking beside me. When I turned I was shocked to see a hurt expression on her face... An expression no one would want to see on anyone’s face.

“I’m so sorry. I… I…”

I didn’t know what to do. She’d never taken any of my attempts to ridicule to heart so much before… I watched as she turned and began to walk down the street the opposite way to where I stood.

There was no point in following though. She was a stubborn girl… Just like me though… That thought made me laugh out loud to myself and I called to the receding figure of my companion. “Okay, I’ll see you later”

I spun in a circle and clutched my cloak around my torso. It was the best £35 I ever spent. I only wore it when I was in a really good mood though. Today was a good day. I was in a great mood.

I began walking again, restarting the soothing rhythm of my footfalls.

An ear-splitting screech rippled through the air behind me, startling me from my fantasising state. I spun round to see what the noise was and saw a big, black off road car billowing smoke and pushing against a high brick wall. Black tyre marks stained the wide distance between each kerb that the car had skidded upon and the vehicle groaned after the sudden destruction of it's front half.

I sprinted towards the wrecked car, forcing myself to stay calm as I recognised what the red fluid leaking sluggishly down the side of the driver’s door was. The mangled body of a grey-haired man, crumpled forward in the seat behind the driver’s wheel. The old man's face was battered and bruised from the impact of it hitting the steering wheel and his nose had been pushed back into his skull to. Blood trickled from large slashes across the old man’s forehead and each cheek. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to battle the strong desire to regurgitate last night’s dinner onto the dirty street.

I shuffled towards the front of the car cautiously and then stumbled onto my hands and knees. I tipped my head forward, not able to stop myself any longer, and splashed the rough surface of the ground with vomit. What I had just seen printed into my mind immediately. I would never forget it.

The front of the car had not hit the wall.

Something had been in the way to stop it.

Shakily, I stood from the crouched position I had now taken.

Between the cracked surface of the towering wall and the dented bonnet of the car, a frail, bloody body was propped up. Blood ran down her long, freckled, face and down over a perfect chin. Her hair had also become knotty and caked in it to, making it messy and tangled.

The face of the girl I had spoken to only moments before, now was lifeless and frightening.

I regretted the last words I had spoken to her.

A sob erupted from my throat as I saw no movement from her body. Her arms hung limply by her sides and her ribs were protruding through her thin skin, her flesh ripped by the hit of the metal bumper of the vehicle. I began to tread slowly towards my friend when two powerful arms encased me in a tight grip around my body preventing me. I shrieked struggling against whoever held me.

Don't they understand!

I have to help her!

I have to stop this!

"Why isn't anybody doing anything?"

Why were they stopping me from doing something?

I fell limp in my captor's arms then, when I felt them slacken and begin to lower me to the ground, I surged forward. Fingertips stretched out to stop me but I resisted them and arrived next to the gory figure of the car’s cushion.

I stroked my fingers softly down her face, sweeping strands of hair to the side. Blood stained my fingers and then my face as I reached up rubbing my eyes, tears were now streaming down my face

Sirens pierced my ear drums and brought me out of my stupor. I had frozen still in the street and the bedlam around me had been blocked out subconsciously. I had become ignorant of the voices screaming deafeningly in my surroundings.

There was nothing I could do to change what had happened or bring my friend back so I involuntarily traipsed backwards until I reached a wall of bodies in my way. I searched desperately for an easy way through the obstacles with no attention drawn towards me but that was not a possibility. Shoulders and elbows bumped me as I made my way through the curious crowd.

I scrambled out of the other side and darted down the street in the direction of my house. Car’s beeped their horns constantly as I darted across the road in their paths. I tripped over a kerb and tore the skin on my knees and palms, blood began dripping down my arms towards my elbows but I pushed myself up and carried on running down the street.

I got to the end of my garden and ripped open the gate, it’s hinges groaned against the force. I hurtled up the path, slamming into the front door as I could not stop.

I swung the door wide, banging it behind me and sliding down the weak wood to land on the floor with my head in my hands. “May?” a gentle voice spoke and I lifted my head.