Still Waters Run Deep

Chapter 4: Wrecked

Chapter 4:

Wrecked

The car flipped several times. Emily lost count after the third time, but each time it rolled they felt the jolt of the impact in their bones, in every cell of their bodies. It felt like hours were passing with each second they were suspended in air. There was a strange ethereal numbness that overcame them both, as the reality of what was happening didn't feel real to them. But they were knocked back into lucidity every time the car slammed against the ground. The sound of metal being crushed and glass shattering was all they could hear. Neither one of them screamed, or at least neither one of them remembered screaming, on the way down. Even if they had, no one was around to hear it.

Emily remembered being thrust against the door and then against the steering wheel. Grace was jolted to the side into the center console and then up against her mangled door, which by some miracle of a chance hadn't completely caved in. Both of their seat belts jerked and held them in place. The passenger's side airbag didn't deploy, but the driver's side did, nearly knocking Emily completely out. She fought to stay conscious. Her head was throbbing. She blacked out for a few seconds, only forcing herself back into consciousness when she heard her daughter calling out for her. She could feel Grace's small fingers digging in to her arm. She reached back in the midst of the chaos and put her hand over Grace's, trying to let her know she was there, that she wasn't alone.

The car stopped rolling and tilted on its folding wheels before it flipped one last time and landed upright in the river. The car teetered back and forth, a strange buoyancy moving them up and down as it settled against the water. There was a sucking noise and then a loud whoosh. Moments later, the frigid water came pouring in through the fractured glass. Emily sucked in a surprised gasp when she felt the icy sensation. Though the temperatures had been in the high 50s during the day, they'd dropped into the 30s and 40s at night, leaving the water feeling like knives against their skin. Emily's first instinct was to make sure her daughter wasn't hurt.

"Grace? Are you okay?" She reached over and put her palm on Grace's face. Grace nearly jumped out of her skin, but she didn't answer. At the very least she was conscious.

Emily tried to let her eyes adjust to the dim light. Grace was staring straight ahead in shock. She blinked several times. Emily could feel her shaking. She instinctively stroked Grace's face to try and calm her down with one hand and hit the emergency button on her Bluetooth with her other. It connected to 911 instantly.

"911, what's your emergency?" A voice over the loudspeaker asked.

"My daughter and I were just in a wreck. Another driver swerved into our lane and we were hit and run off the road..." She glanced up, trying to see if the driver of the other car was on their way to help. All she could see was a dark night sky occasionally lighting up from the passing storm, the noise of the thunder rolling and the rushing water now sounding identical. Above all that noise, she could still hear raindrops pelting the roof. She could feel the icy river water swishing up against her feet, so cold that it felt like it was slowing the blood in her veins. "We went over the Rock Canal Bridge and we're in the river..."

"Okay, ma'am, can you tell me where exactly..."

Static filled the air and the phone disconnected, the electricity shorting out. Emily pressed the emergency button again, but nothing happened.

"Damn it!" Emily smacked the car stereo with her palm. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grace jump. She tried to calm herself down. "Hey, it's okay." She tried to reassure her.

She felt around for her phone. She found it submerged in water in between her seat and the floor. She did her best not to panic. She glanced down, and for the first time she realized that her legs were trapped between the crushed steering column and the seat.