189 Partout Lane

2

2          

And then it blew up. I flew down the road. I needed to find a gas station where a phone was. I needed to find one. I needed to I needed to I-I-I had to. C'mon c'mon, c'mon, c'mon where's a gas station where is one? I was flying down the street. There had to be one there had to be there had to be! C'mon! C'mon! I saw one I saw it! There it was. I drove into it and fell out of the truck and and and and then then I I searched for the payphone. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, where is it?" I was yelling turning my my head everywhere just just searching for it. There! There it is! I bolted to it. 9. 1.1. I called it. "Pick up! Pick up Goddamnit!" My foot was rattling. My heart was racing. "911 What's your emergency?" "There's a car on fire! A car!" "Where are you?" "Umm, umm, 189, Partout Lane, 189 Partout Lane! Partout Lane." "What the, what, the. How is this how!" I started to cry. I did I did I did. This this can't can't be real. "Stay calm, do not get too close, a fire truck has been dispatched." This can't be happening. No, no, no, no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no. More more more people just just."...Hello...Are you still with me?" The operator repeated herself.  "...Hello...Hello? Are you still with me.?" Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Dear God, dear God. "Hello?" I gulped down the truth and mustered out the words. "Hang on, I think there's someone inside of it." I hung up the phone, oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. I dashed back into the truck racing down the the the road just just plain terrified. Dear God, no, no, no no, I I I hit the address. There it was still just burning. I got out of the truck and staring running for the fire. Down that dirt road. No, no, no, no, no. I was sprinting to it, panting even. I was still running closer, I started to cry. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Tears were rolling down my face as sweat began to form. I was close to the car now, very very very very close and and and and even closer to losing my mind. No, no, no. And and then I-I wasn't even running anymore, I just stopped altogether not not not even breathing, I-I could feel the flames warming up my skin, the the the heat on my face increasing and sweat dripping down my body, my my my panting only getting heavier and and and the the fire only only getting worse. There was someone inside of it. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, I started running again as fast as I could. "Hello! Hello! Are you in there! Hello!" I was yelling at the top of lungs.

"Hello! I'm here to help!" And then I saw the wide open eyes of a corpse laying there in the driver's seat. "No! No, no, no, no, no." I was shaking my head, the eyes like the last girl and the mouth cracked open a bit, the hair overflowing with ash, it spilling out with every gust of wind that came by hitting the car, hitting me, little flakes of what the person used to be just hours ago, now just splitting out into dust, into the wind, never to be seen again. It was all just coming off of him, he, he was a boy, no, no, no, he was a boy! He was a boy! Goddamnit! God fricking damnit! His skin was peeling off of him like an orange or a snake, layer by layer tearing off, falling off.

His eyes open like he was looking at me and mouth open like he was trying to mouth the words "Help. Me." So I was yelling: "Help! Somebody help! Help! Help! Help!" Just at the top of my lungs.

"Dear God! Dear fricking God!" I took of my coat and started to blow the fire away, it wasn't working clearly but but but, I- I was trying. "C'mon! C'mon! Ugh!" I was trying to get it to go away like an oven fire or something I don't know but, of course it wasn't working this thing was way too big to put out but, I I I could just see that poor boy looking at me for help. "C'mon C'mon!" It did nothing, then then I put my hand on the handle. "Ahh! Ahh!" I shook my hand. "Shit! Ahh!" I was rattling it, backing up from the car. "God!" I spun around. Yup. He was still just staring at me, even with the fire burning down the car, his skin peeling off, his body getting turned into dust, he was still just staring at me. I feel to my knees, I could feel what must have been a mix of sweat and tears coming down my face and onto my hand, my body delirious and drenched in sweat as well as overwhelmed with fear.