Warped

Crash

          Laura was sixteen when her father woke her up in a panic, shaking her shoulders and yelling for her to pack what she needs. She was sixteen when her mother told her to watch her brother. She was sixteen when the world ended, wearing her new red and black checkered pajamas, in the backseat of their car, holding her brother who struck up a fever.
           It was the dawn of Laura's seventeenth birthday, a day in winter that brought a heavy snow, when her world came crashing down around her, crushing everything in it's path. She still remembers her mother's screams and father's cut off yell. And she can still remember her little brother's tear-streaked face as he let out an inhuman howl the shook the windows. His body twisted in a way no nine year old's body should, shaking and quivering out of Laura's reach. His face held a glistening sheet of sweat, pale and ghostly, and his eyes were stuck wide with pain.
          Just as Laura reached out to grab her struggling brother to hug him to her and try to take his pain, the car jerked. Her mother's screams echoed as the car was shoved from the left and from behind directly into a tree near the forest to the right. A branch crashed through the windshield, cutting through her mother's jaw and through the leather seat, only to stop inches away from Laura's brother. Blood dripped in the eerie quiet that was only filled by Laura's harsh breathing and her brother's whimpering. She couldn't see her father but as she looked over his seat, the way it folded forcibly into itself with blood seeping out from the corners, Laura could tell that her father was just as gone as her mother was.
         Laura worked her mouth to try and form words that hurt her throat, "A-Aaron?" Aaron's head had slammed into the window, his blond hair matted with blood. The blood flowed over is face, dripping onto his white t-shirt, soaking it thoroughly. "Aaron, wake up," Laura tried, reaching a shaky hand out to touch any part of him she could reach. Aaron's head lolled to the side, recognizing her voice slightly.
          Laura reached a little further to touch his cheek, wanting so badly to check the wound on his head that was no doubt producing the blood but not having enough energy to move more than her right arm. Before she could make contact, Aaron's hand gripped hers, his knuckles turning a pasty white that stood out on his already pale skin. Laura's arm shook with the raw force an ill and injured nine year old boy should not possess. His head slowly turned to the side and upwards, his ocean eyes open and staring intently into hers. He cocked his head to the side, face no longer shining with sweat but rather dull, covered with blood that barley dried enough to cake.
          Laura could hear nothing from outside of the car, focusing solely on her brother as he steadily twisted her arm with his. Her mouth gaped open in pain and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she heared her bones begin to break. She reached her other arm up in a jerky motion to claw at his hand, a low moan escaping her lips. Her nails gripped into his hand, drawing blood. Aaron slowly begin to open his mouth and Laura felt fear grip her tightly, a scream caught in her throat.
           Aaron opened his mouth wider and wider until Laura could see his teeth; not the pearly white with a front tooth missing, but two rows of yellow razor sharp teeth. His mouth opened wider than it should have and the blood that hadn't caked on his face dripped into his mouth and over his teeth. Laura felt cold, something that barely resembled a shiver rolled over her spine and her hand that she latched onto his loosened and began lack strength. She couldn't breathe as she stared in shock at what replaced her brother. A monster.
          It moved it's head closer, it's left arm still twisting her right; the only sound heard was the cracking of Laura's bone and the now inhuman breathing of the thing. It made a guttural sound, growling wetly at her, spit and it's own blood spraying out at her. It's skin seemed to turn a light murky grey and it started to look...longer than it was before; it's  neck stretching, shoulders shrinking,
and head thinning. It was a gradual change that left Laura speechless.
          It snared at her, teeth baring like an animal feeling threatened. Laura's eyes widened in fear and she gasped, startled. The thing moved closer and it went in for an attack when a noise form outside of the car brought both of their attention to the left. There was a crowd rushing towards them and Laura felt relieved. She turned back to the right and the thing was directly in front of her face. It screeched, long and ear piercingly loud. Laura's eardrums throbbed and her breath caught in her throat.
          When it was finished, it crashed into the door to the right and shoved it open. As it raced off into the woods, Laura's scream of pain echoed as her arm was fully snapped in multiple places and her bone was in shards. The door behind her opened and a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned and looked at the person behind her, an older man that looked at her with kind eyes.
          She could hear the man saying something but her mind was on that thing her brother turned into. Laura turned her head to look at where the thing ran off. She could see tracks that could only belong to a creature that it was and blood dripping onto the forest floor, burning red splotches onto the snow. She looked off to the side, staring directly at her mother's torn through head which was now turned slightly to the side, making eye contact with Laura, unseeing.