Sudden Departure

Chapter Eight

So there I was, racing against the clock to get home on time.

I had just left a big party at The Spot. We had a colossal bonfire raging. Its fiery tongues reached up in attempt to meet the stars. They danced on for hours with us.

After the "party hard" stage of the party mellowed out we all stood around the fire and talked. I listened to the conversation shift from current events, to movies, to books, and everything else. I watched the fire shrink from high above my head to below the ring of brings.

The dying fire reminded me of my dying time from curfew. I pulled my phone out and checked the time. 10:45. I groaned inwardly and tucked my phone back into the back pocket of my jeans.

I looked up at Cameron. "Hey, Cam."

"Hmm?" He mused as he averted his attention from the conversation to me.

"I really can't miss my curfew again so, I'm gonna head out."

He planted a peck on my lips. "Are you sure you don't want a ride?"

I laughed at his persistence. "Yeah, I'm sure. I brought my car."

His face fell slightly. "Alright. Call me."

I assured him I would before I did a lap around the fire hugging and saying goodbye to my friends.

The screech of breaks interrupted my thoughts. I was at a red light. My windshield was fogged up because I had the heat blazing. I reached and wiped off the steam exposing the scene of snow and ice flurrying steadily from the sky.

"Ugh!" I groaned out loud. Not only had it started to snow against my wishes, but it was a winter mix. There was snow, rain, and sleet.

I groaned again as the red light turned and my car jolted forward. I felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I looked and saw the others cars on the road slowly peel away and onto their own trails. After a while, I was on the road alone.

I sighed with frustration as the stream of wintery liquids flooded more heavily. The silence was eery and the nervous feeling in my stomach intensified.

I looked down to check the time (11:10) and when I returned my gaze back to the road the storm was raging.

I drove along for several miles on the dark road. The snowflakes and frozen droplets sped by and pricked the sides of the car and the windshield.

My heart skipped as I saw the signs for a sharp turn flash in the headlights. I slammed on the breaks, they screamed deafeningly but did not slow the car down. At all. The turn was approaching faster and faster and my car stayed at a blinding speed.

Gliding. My car was gliding. My ugly, little black car was gliding gracefully over the road. Gracefully, but deathly. And it all happened so fast. First, a surge of yellowed light flashed in my face and blinded me. The next thing I knew, my car was skidding across the road and spinning, spinning so fast.

Adrenaline rushed down my gushed through my limbs and out through my fingers. I kicked my foot on the break with all of my force, as hard as I could. As many times as I could. If I could. If I really did. I was paralyzed in fear, my arms still gripped the wheel with force.

An ear-splitting howl pierced the hollow silence. What is that? I thought adding another layer to my panic. I then realized that it was me. I broke my trance and twisted the wheel. Hard. I spun it around as many times as I could to halt the chaos.

The little car was still whirling. My head was clouded with fear and dizziness. It just kept spinning.

Then it all stopped.

It stopped.

My chest jolted forward and popped on the wheel. The airbags deployed and forced me back. My neck snapped my head against the headrest. Then I was out.

~~SD~~

Chirping. Chirping and tweeting and bird singing. Those are the sounds that flowed freely through my head as I peeled my eyes open. I never heard any of it, though. My head hurt too much. It was pulsing violently everywhere.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes to block out the light. Light. Light! A string of curses left my mouth.

It was morning, but early. Like, dawn early. But it didn't matter. I missed curfew by hours and would probably never be let out of the house again. I didn't even have an excuse.

I sighed and kick-started the engine with a twist of the key. The engine roared fiercely for a full thirty seconds before violently sputtering and coughing. It groaned violently and died.

"Ah!" I screeched and pounded my fist on the steering wheel. I rested my head in my hands and sighed heavily. Tears escaped my eyes and my shoulders shuttered. My car is broken. I'm going to be grounded until I die. It snowed. Ugh. I thought as I slipped out of the car and crunched the fresh lair of snow with my Converse.

I examined the outside of the dent-less car and lifted the hood. Dark smoke poured out and wafted around my heels before vanishing in all directions.

I shrieked again and kicked the bumper. Running my hands through my hair an idea popped in my head, I was dumbfounded that I hadn't thought of it before. I wriggled my cellphone out of my back pocket and dialed up my house.

No ring.

An electronic voice piped up and droned on. "You are in an signal-free zone. Please try this call again at a later time."

I breathed deeply and clenched my fists into tight balls.

"Guess I'm walking." I murmured angrily under my breath and strolled down the road.