Protection

Chapter 2

"Hello, is anyone still in there?"

"Oh god! Someone call 911! Now!"

What is going on? Why is someone calling 911? Oh no, is somebody hurt? We need to help them. Wait, why...why can't I move? I...I can't move. Mom, somebody, help me!

My eyes open immediately. All I can see is red as my eyes are adjusting to the bright lights shining in my face. My vision becomes clear, and I see a man laying on his side. Wait, he isn't on his side, I am. What is going on?

"She's alive! she's alive! someone help me pry the door open!" yells the man.

Pry the door open? What door? Who is still alive? I am so confused I can barely think. I turn my head to the right and I am horrified by the sight in front of me.

The thing that catches my eye is red. Not the red you would use to color the rainbow. A red so deep, it almost looks black. This color is everywhere, but it is mostly on my... mom.

"Mom?" I ask, bit there is no answer, "mom? mom, can you hear me?" she doesn't move. I can feel the tears coming, why isn't she answering me?

I go to touch her face, but when I move my arm a sharp, excruciating pain slides up my arm to my throat. I immediately let out the most blood curdling scream I have ever made.

"Miss, don't move, we will get you out of there, the ambulance is almost here." says the man.

I turn to him in pain and choke out the words, "what happened?"

He looks at me with sorrow and panic. "Your car collided with a semi and flipped off of the road."

Those words hit me like a knife in the gut. This can't be happening, this can't be real. I am just dreaming, this is all just a dream. But it feels so real. The pain in my body, the ringing sound in my ears, it all feels so real.

I could hear the faint sound of sirens rolling towards us. I start to see red and blue lights flash on top of a white truck. That's when it hits me. This is real, and I am in big trouble.

Oh god, we were in an accident. That's why my mom and Conner started to scream before I woke up.

Oh god.

Conner.

I start to panic. My little brother, he is in the back seat. Alone. I have to get to him make sure he is ok. Oh god, please, I lost my dad please don't let me lose him too. I look back and see him curled up in a ball with the same deep red blood covering him from head to toe. Conner and mom are the only people left in my life that I love.

My mom.

She still hasn't moved from her position in her seat. There is something different though, I didn't notice it before. Her skin is blue. It is lifeless.

"Mom please!" I yell. I start to sob. "Conner is hurt, you need to wake up!"

"Miss, miss, what is your name?" I turn back to my right and see a young woman in an EMT uniform crouching next to me. "Miss, can you hear me?"

"Yes," I croak, "my... my name is... Ellie." I start to feel the weight of sleep being pressed on me. But I am woken up by the shouting of my name.

"Ellie, you need to stay awake with me. We are going to get you out, but you need to do exactly as I say. Got it?" she tells me.

"Yes." I reply.

"Ok, now we have pried the door open on your side, can you move to get out?" she asks.

I try to move my legs but the same pain washes over my entire body, and I let out a strangled scream.

"Ok, ok. Don't move. We are going to pull you out, but you need to bare the pain and stay wake. Your life depends on it sweetie." She says in a concerned tone. "Now Andy is going to come over and pull you out in to the gurney as fast, and as painless as possible."