A/N: My come-back fic after 4 years. Not quite sure where I'm going to go with this, but I think it's a pretty interesting plot. I'd appreciate your feedback.
FROM THE WRECKAGE
CHAPTER 1
Crash and Burn
Her books were all strewn across the asphalt. Her leftover lunch now scattered everywhere. The sound of the loud crash still rang in her ears, echoing in her head.
She blinked rapidly at the crumpled mess in front of her, trying to assess what had happened. It had looked like a giant hand from heaven fell down and crushed a brand new car like it was a piece of paper.
And then she saw the driver still strapped to his seat. Blood was trickling down his face in a jagged line, seeping into the collar of his crisp white shirt, staining it red. She tried to find her balance, steadying herself as she stood. She ignored the ache of her own leg, untangled herself from her broken bicycle and staggered her way to the unconscious man.
"Sir," she whispered. "Please, wake up."
He stirred a little, barely opening his eyes, and grunted inaudibly.
"Can you hear me?" She asked softly, touching the face of the man. "Are you ok?"
"Whe--Where am I?" He struggled to form the words, his eyebrows knotted in confusion. "Wha--? What happened?"
"I don't know." She tried to force her short-term memory to work, but the effort only made her lightheaded.
"I think it was an accident. You were driving so fast." She tried hard to remember, but her own memories were jarred.
"I heard brakes screeching, smelled burnt rubber and all I remember was opening my eyes to see your car smashed into this big post." She finished, gesturing to the giant concrete post that was now standing in the middle of his black Porsche's scrunched up hood.
He winced in pain, wondering why he couldn't move his legs. "Smoke," he managed to utter, gasping for breath. "I smell s-smoke."
She looked at the front of his car and saw that smoke was billowing out furiously from under the hood. Something bad was bound to happen. With all her body's adrenaline built up, she pushed the car door open and tried to lift his arm over her shoulder. He felt limp and heavy, too heavy for a petite girl to carry by herself, especially with only one good leg.
The man coughed and her eyes watered as the smoke surrounded them with its nauseous smell. She could barely see her own feet from the thickening smog.
With giant effort, she closed her eyes and pulled him over her back. She half-limped and half-towed him as far from the wreckage as she could, collapsing onto the sidewalk on the other side of the road. She tried to catch her breath, but it was terribly painful even to breathe with bruised ribs.
She checked on the man, putting her ear on his chest, relieved to hear his heartbeat still going strong.
"Don't leave me." He croaked weakly, coughing as he did. He held her tightly with his right arm like he was holding onto dear life.
She didn't know why, but while he held her, she almost forgot the stabbing pain in her leg, her difficulty breathing and the fact that they were lying on the side of the road. It was as if, for that moment, everything felt right in the world and no matter what could have gone wrong, this nameless stranger would somehow keep her safe.
"I'll stay with you, promise." She reassured him, the words rasping out of her throat.
Something trickled down her face, making her wonder why she was suddenly crying; when she wiped her cheek and saw that her fingers were coated in red.
Before she could figure out her own body's damages, the black Porsche exploded, sending debris flying everywhere. She felt his arms tighten around her and her only instinct was to shield the man's body with her own.
Then, her vision of the angry red and orange flames dimmed at the edges and slowly faded to black.
The last thing she heard was the wails of sirens in the distance.
A/N: This fic sort of took on a different road from where I first intended it to go. What do you think? Lemme know.
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