Samantha always wanted a life that was worth writing about. Then, after a tragic accident that should have left her dead, her wish had come true. Only, it wasn't the kind of life anyone would wish upon themselves. Kept in captivity as a slave to the...
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There it was, 6,000 tons in all, chugging its steel crates behind it looking like a bullet traveling through the air. The idea came before I could stop it—I wanted to race.
The train was honking continuously, as if warning me to stop messing around, but the alcohol concentration in my system far outweighed rational thought. I sped the Chevy Cheyenne to well above the speed limit, making the classic truck shake around me. The flat terrain outside my windshield became a blurred mess in my headlights. As soon as I caught up to the front of the locomotive, I slowed down to stay right beside it.
The fun of playing with the train soon grew tiring, and I decided to pass the annoying honking monstrosity. I pressed the gas pedal further making the red arrow on my speedometer climb further and further to the right. All the while, the steering wheel shook in my sweaty hands and the engine whined for relief.
Then I saw it.
Just ahead, I saw flashing red lights off to the right, on the side of the desolate country road—a warning to drivers that danger was coming. The turn off seemed like a bright idea to my impaired mind—a challenge. I applied pressure to the break, making sure I was slow enough to take the turn. Not realizing in my drunken state that the faster I slowed down, the faster the train was catching up to me. The adrenaline rush came right when I heard the blaring horn and turned.
I couldn't stop.
The truck barely made the turn; and the second I swerved, I felt it tip, but it didn't register that I had tires off the ground. I smashed the gas pedal to the floor and surged forward remaining on a few tires and then the blinding light came from my right. I didn't even risk a glance. I grabbed onto the steering wheel tighter and held my breath.
I felt my back tire go over the tracks, and no immediate collision, but I did feel the truck start to right itself a little. I never felt more alive in that moment as the adrenaline coursed through my veins mixing with the alcohol into a euphoric feeling that felt like I was kissing my first crush—it took my breath away. Little did I know that my crush was Death in disguise. Thinking I was in the clear, my fist was raised in the air in celebration, but the truck bed was still a foot from passing.
That is when the train hit.
The sound of metal on metal was like a deafening gun shot, and I knew my time was coming. The truck was probably on three tires at the time but the force from the train knocked it right back up. After that, I had no idea what was happening. I felt the sudden jerk of the collision and my torso lurched along with it making me feel like the force ripped me in half.
I was laughing – maybe at the pain or at fate, but the truck was forced into a roll into a neighboring field. Without a seatbelt, I was powerless as to where my body went, and on the third roll, I was out the broken window of the driver side and crushed under the door.
It's such a tragic way for someone's life to end, but that was only the beginning to my tale.
