An Intangible Pattern - Fate Bound.

To the rescue.

Alex: I'm just leaving. See you in two to three hours depending on the road.

Cat: Drive safe x

The drive to Wisterlea was a slow crawl as she navigated the wet and icy roads. Not more than an hour into her journey, snow began to fall heavily and she struggled to see more than a few feet ahead through the starburst of black and white static. Without any visible landmarks or signs, she relied mostly on her sat nav for guidance. With little change in the scenery, she switched on the radio to keep her mind occupied.
“...the MET office has issued severe weather warnings for North West England, Scotland and Wales as temperatures plummet to minus six. Driving conditions are expected to become increasingly hazardous with heavy snowfall and ice. The MET are currently advising all drivers not to travel unless absolutely necessary. If you must travel, consider waiting until weather conditions improve and be sure to plan your journey in advance.”
Alex tightened her grip on the steering wheel and drove on.
She passed few other cars and was relieved as she neared Wisterlea, grateful that soon she could get out and stretch her stiff limbs.
Lights appeared as another vehicle rounded a corner up ahead: in slow motion, she watched as the back of a heavy goods vehicle swung out too far onto her side of the road and the driver struggled to get his vehicle back under control.
Instinctively, she slammed the brakes, but her car continued to slide forward, she turned the steering wheel, opting to drive into the ditch rather than careen headlong into the side of the lorry. As though watching from over her shoulder, she was dimly aware of the car jolting violently as it slid down the rocky bank. Before she could process what was happening she smashed into a tree with a shrieking crunch of metal and glass. The breath was knocked from her as she slammed forward, painfully against her seatbelt then back again as the airbag erupted in her face. She lay against the deflating airbag for a few moments as her mind caught up with her situation: she was suspended at a downward angle, sinking against the collapsing airbag which was steadily transferring more of her weight against her seatbelt, crushing her bruised chest.
The engine clinked as it cooled and she could smell petrol.
I need to get out and call for help.
Shakily, she struggled against the airbag and braced her knee against the radio to push herself upright. She felt around for the latch and was relieved when, with a shove, her door swung open.  She freed herself from her seatbelt and scrambled out onto the bank, immediately stumbling and sliding down the steep slope on her backside.
She swore as her boots plunged into a freezing, ankle-deep stream. She kicked at the river bed and scrambled back onto the bank.
Lying back in the snow, watching her breath steam in the freezing air, she considered her next move.
I can't stay here. I can't move the car, it's freezing and no-one will find me in this ditch.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She sighed with relief as the screen lit up. She had battery, she had signal - she would be ok.
She hesitated a moment and then dialed Cat.
“Hullo?”
Alex took a deep breath and coughed as cold air stabbed at her lungs, “...ow!” she groaned as the motion aggravated her aching ribs.
“Alex? Are you ok?”
“Err…well I'm still alive.” She said with affected bravado.
“What?”
“I just crashed my car!” She started to laugh in disbelief but stopped at the painful protest from her ribs.
“Oh my god! Where are you?” Was the panicked reply from the speaker.
“Not far from Wisterlea, hang on, let me see…” she flicked open the map on her phone “..Just west of the roundabout. There's a service station about half a mile away. I'm going to try and walk there.”
“No Alex, just stay in the car…”
“Can't. It's in a ditch leaking petrol. You can't see it from the road anyway.”
She could hear muffled voices on the other end of the phone.
“Listen, we're going to come and get you. Try to get to a rest stop and just wait there, we can be with you in twenty minutes. Don't try to walk along the road.”
“Alright, I need to get out of this ditch first.”
“We'll be there soon, can you send me your location?”
“Yeah, just a sec… got it?”
“Got it. We're just leaving. Just get somewhere safe”
“Alright, see you soon.”
She hung up and let her hand drop to her chest. She was once again left in soft silence, watching thick flakes of snow fall like downy feathers. She stuck her tongue out and closed her eyes, absorbed by the sensation of the delicate flakes settling on her face and the tang of icy crystals dissolving on her tongue.
She felt oddly at peace lying in the snow, a sense of balance, as if she straddled the fulcrum between the violent crash of a few moments earlier and the soon to come struggle to escape the ditch. Even the pain in her chest was welcome: it was a clean pain, definable, explainable and with the promise that in a few weeks it would heal. It confirmed something terrible had just happened, but she had survived. When was the last time she felt this alive? When had she last been so aware of her heart beating in her chest, the taste of snow, the sound of trickling water or the bite of cold on her skin.
How long had she been so numb?
At last she sighed and painfully rolled onto her hands and knees. Cursing with effort and using branches and shrubs to haul herself up the slope, she fought her way up to her car. The front of the vehicle was badly crushed and the hood had popped out of place, like a dislocated limb. Her windscreen was shattered and she was grateful the airbag had prevented her from falling into it. She patted the hood sadly then opened the back door to retrieve her suitcase from the footwell. Then turned her attention to the boot where an emergency kit was stored, containing among other things, a high visibility vest and a head torch. She pulled them both on and resumed her ascent from the ditch but found that she needed both hands to pull her up the slippery slope, which made it difficult to move with her suitcase.
She sat down again to think, using the trunk of a narrow birch tree to stop herself from sliding back down the hill. She was panting and sweating with effort, swearing with frustration.
I'll need it, I can't just leave it here.
She thought as she considered abandoning her suitcase. She unbuckled the belt around her woolen coat and refastened it around the handle of her suitcase and her waist. It bumped painfully against the back of her legs but at least she was able to haul herself out of the ditch. As she staggered onto the flat surface of the road, she could see the snow was already beginning to erase the trace of her descent. Her ears pricked for the sound of traffic but there was only muffled silence. She saw no sign of the lorry.
Bastard! He just drove off and left me!
She thought furiously, but there was no time to dwell on her irritation. She dragged her suitcase through the snow and walked on, past the bend to a longer stretch of road where she could see oncoming traffic. At the entrance to a farm track she stopped, deeming the spot safe enough to wait.
She stamped her freezing feet and blew on her hands to ward off the stinging chill. In many respects she wished she could keep walking, at least she would feel warmer;
when she stood still she was fully aware of how soaked through and miserably cold she was.
She jammed her hands in her pockets and stepped side to side to keep her blood moving.
Eventually she decided she should call Cat and update her.
“Hey Alex, we're just coming up to the roundabout, we're not far now. Are you ok?”
“I'm fine, just a little bruised and wet. I'm just at the junction to a farm track. Look out for a high vis vest on the left.”
Cat kept her on the line until they eventually rolled up to where Alex was standing. She hopped out of the front passenger seat and hugged her sister tearfully.
“I'm so glad you're ok, get in the front it's warmest there.” She took Alex's suitcase from her and got in the back. Alex gratefully sank into the front seat and shuddered as she began to thaw out.
“Are you warm enough?” Arthur asked, she looked round and saw his  pale and distraught face as he looked her up and down.
“Yes, I'm fine. Is there any water?”
Cat immediately fumbled around in her bag and drew out a bottle of water, while Arthur started the car and drove on until he could find a more convenient place to turn.
“We should go to the hospital.”
“No, I'm ok, it's just some cuts and bruises. I just need a change of clothes.” She gulped down the water and felt herself relax now she was warm and safe.
“I'm so sorry Alex, this is my fault.” blurted Arthur apologetically, “I shouldn't have asked you to come down until the weather was clear.”
“Don't be ridiculous, you couldn't have known,” yawned Alex, beginning to feel sleepy.
“What happened?” pleaded Cat leaning forward between them.
“Oh, some dick lost control of his lorry and I swerved to avoid him,” she scowled in disgust. She might have felt more generously towards the other driver if he hadn't left her for dead.
“Anyway, I rolled down into a ditch and smashed into a tree. Rest in peace …,” she yawned again,”... Rest in peace little car.”
“Did you call the police?” Arthur queried
“Not yet, I'll do it when we get back.” She answered sleepily and felt herself begin to doze off.
“Hey, you shouldn't fall asleep,” Cat said, shaking her shoulder. “What if you hit your head?”
“Didn't hit my head. Airbag… caught…me... just a little tired.”
She drifted off warm and comfortable in the heated seat.
The next thing she knew Cat was shaking her.
“Wake up, we're home.”
She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. In front of her was the warmly lit, yellow door of Cat's home. The porch was festooned with Christmas lights and decorations, welcoming them in with promises of hot food, a bath and a bed.
Alex shifted clumsily in her seat and groaned as her aching muscles protested.
Cat reached in and helped her sister out of the car. Arm in arm, they walked up the steps, safe at last.