Seven Wings

(1) 예기치 않은

          Letting out a deep sigh, I slam my car door shut. The sound of ripping fabric has my stomach sinking. "Please god.." I mumble and open the car door up.  There at the end of my new and very expensive trench coat was a tear.  Resting my head on the steering wheel, I groan with frustration. Could this day get any worse?  

My mornings are normally quite frustrating and long, but today has really been kicking my ass.

Sitting up and thinking about the leftover pizza and coke in the fridge waiting for me gave me just enough strength to pull through. 

Quickly I shut the car door again, careful of my coat this time and start the engine. As I pull out of the parking garage and onto the New York City streets, I crank the AC up to the full blast. Despite it being mid-fall, it feels as if it the middle of July down in Georgia, but the heat could never keep me from being here. 

New York has always been my dream for as long as I could remember. Writing big stories for entertainment companies has been my goal from the time I could read magazines, and the main place for all those stories and jobs is here in the big apple. 

The classical iPhone ringtone sounds from my purse, pulling me from my thoughts. 

"Hello?" I say after I click to connect it to my car. I was rigid in my seat hoping it wasn't my boss telling me to come back to the office and finish the report. 

"So, drinks tonight at  Pax's place?" I relax at the sound of my best friend's voice. She too followed me to New York just like she promised me when we were 16 years old. 

"Not for me. I really just want to go home and take a long hot bath and down a bottle of wine by myself." 

"Uggg!," the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard in the background and I shook in silent laughter. Only she would call me while using the bathroom. "I'm guessing your boss was extra hard on you today? I don't know why you don't just quit and move to a different agency. Anyone would take you." 

" Yeah. She was. I don't think she had her coffee this morning and it really showed. And I can't quit. I may hate my boss but my co-workers are great." 

Stopping at a red light, I start to take off my coat. Even with the AC on full blast, the heat was smothering. The rumbling of a heavy engine sounds outside and a large shadow cast over my car. A massive tour bus with the words "BTS" and seven handsome smiling men on the side idled to the right of me. I heard very little about the band and what I do know came from other reporters gossip. The world-famous Korean boy band. 

"So? Just quit. You can still hang out with them. You put too much stress on yourself," Alyana said as the light switched to green. I slowed a little, allowing the tour bus to farther up than me just in case it needed to move over a lane. 

"That's not the poi-" my words were cut off by the sudden slamming of two cars into the side of the tour bus.  A scream lodged into my throat as the tour flipped and crushed cars. The pile-up of cars happened in an instant. The scream in my throat finally broke free as my car was slammed into from behind.

"NOVALEE! NOVALEE WHAT'S WRONG! OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY!" Alayna's voice rang out in a panic. Too stunned to answer I could only gasp.  

Quickly jumping out of the car, all around were the shouts of people, the popping of hot engines, and distant sirens. What was I doing? Just standing there as people needed help. 

Running toward the wails of others, I looked for anyone needing help. Climbing over empty cars and avoiding smokey ones. The street was a mess, the tour bus from earlier was crumpled and lying halfway on top of other cars. The middle was soon to collapse, the windows shattered and the back wheels spinning idly in the open air. My heart stopped and my breathing pitched as I saw a hand reach out from the area where the bus was supported by a car. Someone was still there, in the place where the bus was soon to fall.

 They would be crushed. 

Running toward the bus I quickly crouched down to see inside.  There lay one of the boys that was painted on the side of the tour bus.  

"Are you ok-" I stopped short of words at seeing his condition. He was pinned between two bars and was bleeding from several cuts on his body. His white shirt, speckled in red and his brown hair matted. His brown eyes met mine slowly, his lips pulling in a wince as he tried to move.

"I'm trapped," his voice was deep and gruff, laced in pain. 

The bus shifted causing me to lurch into action to save him. I slid under the bus next to him, ignoring the cuts the glass was giving me. I started looking at the bars and tried to figure out what to do before we both were flattened. I started to pull at the bars to try and move them just enough to drag him out when he winced. 

"I'm so sorry it hurts. I have to pull these bars away and I need you to crawl out." 

"What's your name?" he asked me. Was he really asking me my name in a time like this? My mom did tell me once that talking normally in a stressful situation calms people down. 

"Novalee. And yours?" I say while trying to pull on the bars again. My pitiful arm strength was really showing. His reply wasn't fast and I panicked and looked over to make sure he didn't pass out. 

He just lay there watching me with a curious gaze. " V. You are going to have to kick the bar and I'll pull my self out."

I scooted back and rested my legs against the bar. At his nod I pushed the bar away, watching as he groaned and pulled himself out of from under the bus. He then held out a hand to help pull me out as well. Sighing in relief, I let go of my legs and the pressure on the bars and reached for his hand. 

The bus collapsed halfway out. His and my screams mixing as pain exploded throughout my body. 

Cries stuck in my throat. I didn't want to die. There was so much I wanted to do. And what about Alayna? Who would make sure she eats healthy? My parents? My mom would surely die too of grief. My thoughts drifted as the world became fuzzy and black around the edges.  This was the end, maybe the pain would stop.

Suddenly V's face was above mine and I smiled. At least my last image would be a pretty face.

My last emotion was disgust as V bit his wrist and shoved it to my mouth, forcing me to swallow mouthfuls. 

Then, V snapped my neck finally gifting me relief from the pain.