Emily hit the end button, glaring at the bolded word 'DAD' for a moment before clicking the sleep button on the side. Sighing, she headed out of the house, toward the little red '98 Chevrolet Impala he called Baby. Promptly tossing her cell into the passenger seat and jumping in, she started up Baby and pulled out. Speeding her way to the bar, she rushed around the twists and turns, and what would be beautiful scenery in the sunrise. Going 70 mph on a 50 mph road made everything too much of a blur, blobs of color really, to enjoy. He had been at the bar for the entire duration of the day, more than likely drunk beyond belief. Knowing him, he had probably managed to get his hands on some marijuana, too. Needing the soothing feeling of country music, she flipped the station. "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" came on, fond memories of her mother flooded her. Outside, the rain picked up, turning from a light drizzle to a downpour, forcing her to switch her wipers up to high. Mindful of hydroplaning, and not wanting to experience it firsthand, her foot pulled back off the gas pedal. She let the car slow to 50 mph before she decided it was a safe enough speed to go the rest of the drive.
"I wish you were still here." She grumbled, glancing to the picture of her mom on the rearview mirror. Her mom and her stood side by side, big smiles despite the scorching heat of the day. Triple Play stood loud and proud in the background, kids and adults alike sitting in go-karts. She took a right turn once she reached the bridge and the bar appeared up ahead. It was all too soon, in her opinion; she could have gone all night without seeing her dad. Pulling into the old dirt parking lot, she came to a stop near the door, next to a silver Escalade. He seemed to take forever getting out of the bar as she sat, waiting for him to get in the passenger seat. After what felt like ages, the disgusting drunk came stumbling out, almost falling right on the hood of the Escalade. He completely ignored the passenger side, coming straight around to her door. Yanking the driver door open, he leaned down to intoxicatedly attempt to glare at her through the alcohol and drug induced haze.
"Get out Emily, I'm driving my car home." His words were slurred, almost completely unintelligible if she hadn't had to listen to it every day. As always, he emphasized the word 'my', like that would sway her decision any. Emily glared at him, thinking there was no way she was giving him the keys. Her thoughts themselves were less than kind, but she wisely chose to keep them to herself. She did, however, voice her opinion to the alcoholic, hoping to get the point across.
"No, I am driving your car home. You're drunk as fuck, and for all I know higher than a kite, too. There is no way in hell you are driving."
The shock at the impact hit her before the sharp pain did, blinding her for a brief moment before she registered what happened. Her eye stung, a hollow throb to the tune of her heartbeat, where his fist had connected with her face. Drunk or not, she couldn't believe he had really just punched her in the eye. To say it had caught her off guard was a complete understatement, and she numbly decided he could have his way. As she jumped out, her anger began to seep through the numbness, and she yelled at him from the passenger side, before she got into the vehicle.
"Fuck you! Go ahead, drive your cross-faded ass home yourself! I hope you wreck and kill us both!"
After a considerable amount of grumbling and cursing, most of which would probably make even a pirate blush, he managed to get himself in the car. He fiddled with the keys for a minute before figuring out which was the right one. Getting Baby started with a slovenly half-grin, he jammed it into gear, the car jerking backwards haphazardly. A ridiculous amount of stop-and-go maneuvers later, the car eventually got turned around and ready to pull out. The way he was driving reminded her of the boy in Atlantis, an animated movie she'd seen when she was younger, the first time he had driven a car. Finally the exit was in front of them and he floored the gas, about as graceful in his take-off as he was at reversing. It only took a moment before they reached the wet asphalt. He swerved dangerously into the oncoming lane, the rubber of the tires squealing as Baby skidded. She wanted to thank her lucky stars, but it seemed they had a different, less fortunate fate in mind for her as headlights lit up the dark interior of the small vehicle.
Coming straight for them was a massive green logging truck, frantically flashing it's brights at them. The colossal load of logs on it's trailer didn't appear to be slowing it down even a fraction. Someone gasped, though at that point Emily couldn't figure out which of them it had emitted from. Both were too scared, frozen in terror's dark embrace. The truck was close, and rapidly getting closing in, too close for them to hope to escape unscathed. He swerved anyways, almost completely spinning the small vehicle, trying to get out of the giant's path. The sudden change of direction threw her towards her father, her entire body reacting of its own accord. Everything tensed, from her toes to her neck and every single part in between. Her eyes squeezed shut, but the impact was too long in coming. It felt an eternity before they collided, metal screaming in protest as it bent in ways it was not meant. The noise startled her, her clenched eyes popping open a millisecond before the groaning frames sent them careening away like a ricochet. The sounds of the vehicles straining parts drowned out even her own involuntary scream. Somehow, the car had spun enough that when it hit, it only ripped the driver seat area and the front of the car off, leaving her side relatively fine, if a bit damaged. The car spun from the collision, propelled across the street and down the bank on the other side. Once it reached the bottom it came to an abrupt and harsh stop, the back end slamming into a tree, gouging a good chunk out of it and splintering some.
It seemed a great deal of time that she fought with her own body, struggling to remain conscious as she attempted to escape the demolished pile of metal. Somewhere along the ride she must have whacked her head, for it ached with a vengeance every time she moved. Her father having punched her minutes before was completely forgotten. Giving one last desperate attempt to trigger the release on the safety belt, she jammed the stuck button in and pulled with all her might. It retracted too fast, the pain in her head making her dizzy from the exertion, and she toppled over onto the wet ground where the driver's side should have been. Her head impacted with the damp earth, sending stars spiraling through her vision, flashing to the tune of the sirens in the distance. Faster than she could fight it off, she fell into the dark of unconsciousness; The Shadow Land, where there is nothing but yourself in a bottomless black abyss for all eternity.
