RED

Prologue

My hands were planted on the leather steering wheel of my crimson convertible as I drove down the road. The sky barely tasted night as the sun, just five minutes earlier, tucked its tired self away for the evening. I pulled a cigarette out from the pack next to me and held it in my mouth as the flame from the Cricket lighter teetered in the wind. The bright orange light seemed to be the only thing guiding me to my destination. For a brief second, I shut my eyes and took in the cold air of the night. Stars began to poke through the darkness the minute I reopened my eyes. I tapped the steering wheel and began to hum an unfamiliar tune. After I started humming, I swayed the rest of my body to the creation. I closed my eyes again, but this time, they didn't remain shut–they flew open as the sound of a car interrupted my joyous music. The car seemed to be headed in the other direction, as it was in the opposing lane, but it began to charge at me with full speed. I heard a yell as the car sped up. I had two options: let the car run into me, risk death, and get the psychopath driving arrested, or swerve around the vehicle and let the incident become a distant memory. But it was too late by the time I made my decision. The car propelled itself into mine. A man, who looked quite familiar flew through his windshield and into my car. I became trapped in my seat. And then, I saw the lady in the red dress. She was lying in the road, blood spewing out everywhere. Her neck was drenched in crimson. The worst part was that she still choked and gasped for life. The man was not dead. He held a small pistol in his hands, and aimed it at the woman. "I told you that I would do it. Believe now, don't you?" he spoke with gritted teeth. The lady let out an agonizing scream as a bullet went through her chest. The hole began to leak a variety of reds. A siren sounded, and the man, whom I thought was crippled, jumped out of my vehicle and sprinted until I could no longer see him. Investigators arrived at the scene. There was no hope for the lady in the red dress, but there was hope for me. After being untangled from the red metal, I was sent out to describe what happened. I couldn't remember. I didn't want to remember.