Poor Scarlet

Chapter 14: You're a disappointment

My chest burned as Adam's words absorbed into my mind. It felt like ages before I was able to fully understand and process what he had said.

"What?"

"Just get in. It's an emergency." Adam calls. He anxiously taps against the steering wheel as I hop into the passenger seat. Water dripped down my cheeks as I tried to hold back sobs that were threatening to erupt from my throat.

"What happened?" I cry. My muffled voice gets lost in the booming of thunder from outside. Lightning follows shortly and cuts through the darkening clouds.

"I was only told that there was a bad car accident with our parents. There's no survivors." Adam huffs. I could tell he was trying desperately to maintain his composure for my sake, but I could see how badly he wanted to just cry. To just release the pain and sadness that was most likely building up in his chest.

I grasp onto the seatbelt. My fingernails piercing the polyester fabric as I stare blankly outside. Watching each rain drop smack down to the ground in slow motion.

The world seemed to come to a stop as my mind became fuzzy with the sensation and realness of the situation. I don't believe my mind fully grasped onto the full extent of the tragedy but as we pulled up to where the accident was I lost it.

Each moment after Adam stopped the car became blurry, unreal, fake. I didn't feel like I could control what my body and mind were thinking and doing. I exploded from Adam's car, neglecting to shut the door as I rushed over to see what was going on.

Policemen, doctors, firemen, random strangers outlined the streets as sirens pierced into my brain. The flashing lights and hazy people became distant as I became disconnected from the world around me. What was left of my mom's black sedan was being pulled out of the river below, the glass windows were shattered, the doors were all ajar, and the hood of the car was smashed inward. What really caught my attention though was the crimson red that was smeared across the leather seats and mixed in with a pile of glass at the foot of the car.

I felt myself scream as the car was carefully towed out of the water and dragged across the road. The front left tire was hanging loosely, and I became distracted with the doctors that were wheeling a covered gurney over to the ambulance.

I felt my feet hit the ground as I charged over to the black body bag that was carefully arranged over a dismembered human-like figure.

Before I could reach the gurney to see whose lifeless body was draped in the bag, tens of hands reached around my waist and pulled me away from the sight. Policemen were yelling silent words at me as they motioned for me to get out of there. I didn't want to. The temptation of seeing which one of my poor parents were lying dead in the body bag controlled my movements as I kicked the unlucky policeman who was dragging me further away.

Once again, I resumed my run over to the bag as Jack charged over to me grabbing and yanking me to his side. Trying aimlessly to pull me away from what hideous sight I might encounter.

I screamed in desperation, in sadness, in fear as Jack tried to avoid my kicking legs and flying arms that were swinging out of control as I tried to slip away from his strong hold.

"I have to see. I have to see. I have to see who it is." I scream. My wet hair uncontrollably continued to fall in front of my eyes and get caught in my mouth as I screamed and cried. Punching helplessly onto Jack's arms as more people came over to contain me.

I didn't want to hurt anyone intentionally but as the people crowded around me and tried to talk some sort of silent sense into me, all I could think was I have to see. I have to say goodbye. Even if that means I must see what was once my healthy and alive parents crushed and damaged in awful, horrible ways.