Shock

-12-

Ambulances wailed nearby.
The sound seemed to get louder every second, becoming excruciating after a while. I wanted to lift my hands to cover my ears but when I did, a jolt of pain almost made me cry. I promptly dropped my hands, but when my arm hit my lap, it hurt even more. Tears started streaming down my face. Then it suddenly occurred to me that my eyes were closed. I opened them, but it did nothing to improve my vision. Darkness surrounded me, except for the periodical flashes of blue. And in those flashes, I wished it would stay dark.
Glass shards covered my surroundings. Dark blotches stained the fabric of my dress and the area I was sitting on. When I looked in front of me, it was like there were thousands of spiderwebs criss-crossing in front of my face. Soon I discovered it were fractions in the window and mirror.
Two black shapes sat on either end of the web. They were also covered in dark blotches. My parents.
Neither of them was facing me, but I recognized their hair, now falling through the gaps in the chairs. Their clothes, now seemingly colored in the brightest blue I'd ever seen. Their smell, now tainted by the smell of blood.
I wanted them to speak. To say something, anything, to indicate they were alive.
My arm stung, my cheeks were sticky from blood and tears and I would have given everything to get out of there as soon as possible.
Suddenly, I was. Well, actually, I wasn't. I was still in the car, but it was moving now. The blue light had been replaced by yellow light, originating from the lanterns on the side of the road. My parents were chatting cheerfully, and the spiderwebs had disappeared. My mom turned in her seat, said something I didn't hear, and smiled. My dad said something too, but I still didn't hear what it was. It didn't matter. They were happy.
But suddenly they were not. My mom shouted something. No sound reached my ears, but her lips formed the words 'watch out', as every muscle in her body tensed.
Then, sound came bursting back in. Tiers shrieking on asphalt, brakes slamming, screams, and then, a crash.