stabbing in the dark ~fransykes~

16

Josh groaned deeply, his eyes fluttering open as the world around him finally stopped flipping. He was upside down, seatbelt cutting into the tender skin of his neck as it suspended him above the cars roof. The door beside him had been ripped off, leaving a jagged metal edge between him and the outside world. His ears rung loudly, almost loud enough to tune out the shrill sound of the cars alarm.

Breathing laboured, he slowly turned his head towards the drivers side of the car, wincing as every inch of his body moaned in pain. He screamed as his blood shot eyes landed on Jane, her limbs a mangled mess of blood and her face drenched in the crimson liquid. Here eyes were wide, lifeless and pale like her skin and her jaw was completely slack. Exposed bone jutted out of her crushed legs, which were pinned up against the cars airbag.

Josh tore away his stare, feeling bile rise in his throat at the sight. He looked down at his own body, examining his own battered body with panic. His hands were cut deeply along with his legs, red liquid soaking his semi ripped trousers. He tried not to throw up at the way his ankle twisted at an unnatural angle.

Pain ripped through his body as his heart pounded harder. Tears spilt from his bruised eyes, leaving streaks across the blood on his cheeks. Distant sirens infiltrated his ears, distorted amongst the chaos that surrounded him.

He drew in a sharp, painful breath as he slowly reached one of his torn hands across the cars console and hesitantly placed it on top of Jane's, squeezing as hard as his worn muscles would allow. Her skin was as cold as ice, sending chills through Josh's spine as if her lack of heat was infectious.

The sirens got closer and closer.

Josh's vision began to fade, fatigue engulfing him, his limbs growing heavier by the second. His mouth fell open, breaths becoming shallower as he slowly lost control of his body. He tried to fight it; forcing his eyelids to stay open as he kept gripping Jane's blue hand. But ultimately, his efforts were futile and he couldn't help but begin to slip into unconsciousness.

With one last cry, his body became paralysed, and the world around him was dark again.

—————

Birds sang loudly from the rooftops, celebrating the arrival of day as the moon retreated from the sky allowing the sun to rise once again. A soft morning breeze flowed through the open window, caressing Josh's exposed skin as he slowly began to awake.

One by one his limbs woke up, shedding their heaviness as they regained the ability to move. With a gasp, his chest flew forward, propelling his entire upper body into the air as his eyes flew open. His heart bested like a drum as he looked around his surroundings in utter confusion.

He was....in his bedroom?

Josh's body froze. He blinked, then again, and again before pinching himself on the arm harshly. But he wasn't asleep; he was awake. Defiantly awake. Images of the crash shot through his head like bullets, each one bringing a new wave of pain.

Was it a dream? Josh could still feel the ache in his bones, and yet it couldn't have been real, could it? He looked down at his body, tracing his now clean fingers over his unharmed body. No scars, no wounds, no blood, no stitches. Josh was completely fine, at least on the outside.

He was in his boxers, the clothes he was wearing yesterday folded neatly beside his bed along with his school bag. They were unstained, and the rips in his trousers had completely disappeared.

It must have been a dream...

Josh sighed in relief, his tense muscles relaxing as he realised Jane was still alive and well. He might have hated her guts, but dealing with one of her lectures was a lot easier then dealing with her blood on his hands. He quickly changed his boxers before slipping on his school uniform and walking downstairs.

By the time Josh had reached the kitchen, he knew something was wrong. The room was silent, a harsh contrast to the usual overwhelming sound of children's shrill voices. The air was tight and cold and solemn, like a graveyard or a funeral.

"Joshua...there's...uh something we need to talk to you about. You should sit down." Croaked one of the homes workers, Sarah. Her voice was shaky and her eyes were rimmed red like she hadn't slept all night. Josh nodded, quickly pulling out one of the breakfast bar stool and sitting down.

Sarah's blue eyes were filled with compassion, her lips pulled into a tight frown that made her whole face droop. Josh had seen that look way too many times, it was the same look everyone gave him after his parents passed away.

"There's no easy way to say this....but Jane passed away yesterday evening in a car accident. A tree fell in the road, and somehow the brakes on her car malfunctioned so she couldn't stop in time. I'm so sorry Josh, but I'm afraid she died on impact."

Josh's throat tightened as every cell within him seized up. No, no, this couldn't be real. It was just a dream, it had to be. How could Jane actually be dead if she only died in his dream?

"But, but she took me home last night?" Josh said, but it came out more like a question. The truth was, Josh had no recollection of how he got home last night, nor could be remember anything from the evening or falling asleep.

"Josh, you walked home from school yesterday. I know this must all be hard for you to process, take your time." Sarah said smoothly, her voice patronising like she was taking to a child. She squeezed Josh's hand, her skin cold like Jane's was after the crash. The harshness of the memory made a josh flinch back as images of Jane's blue skin filled his spinning head.

How could he not remember anything from after school yesterday? How could his dream of became reality? His head was spinning out of control, his sight fuzzy and unfocused. Without thinking, he flung himself to his feet and quickly walked back to his room despite his buckling knees.

Tears ran down his flushed cheeks as he clawed across his skin with his blunt fingernails, looking for any evidence that what happened last night was real. But it was real...Jane was dead.

Her blood was on Josh's hands.