Within Us

Chapter 4

Walking along the grass that hugged either side of the narrow road felt calming. I had no choice since there wasn't a sidewalk. It was just a thin strip of grass and trees. Dimeston High School was in a lightly wooded area and I liked it. I couldn't help but smile with a bit of glee. I was just happy to have someone as friendly as Syria talk to me. She really did make me feel valued and I felt very appreciative that she gave me the handbook. I smiled more as I replayed some of the moments back in my head. Living in Miami was like living in a sports car city. It was impossible not to step outside and not hear the engine roars of sports cars. The Speedway gas station was about a 10-15 minute walk away. Once in a while a speed demon would race by, making all the trees and bushes shake their heads in disagreement. I feel the same way too, I hated them. Making all that noise for what? There weren't a lot of cars coming down the road since it was after school hours.

Cars tend to speed down this road when no one is on it. I turned a sharp bend and watched as a pickup truck raced down towards me. The driver must have been texting or something as he ate into the opposite lane and barreled towards me. I immediately ran and dived towards the bike lane as it narrowly missed me and drove on the grass and back onto the road. It even had the audacity to honk at me.

WHAT THE HELL?

I was still on the ground, heart pounding, body shaking, eyes tearing a little. I felt my rapid heart was drowning me with oxygen. Panting a bit heavily, I shook my head. Precisely then and a half seconds later, before I could even catch my breath and stop shaking, something struck the back of my head and neck with so much force that my head slammed on the concrete with extreme force. My head was like a tennis ball that got served directly onto the pavement. Blacking out was an understatement. I think I just died.