This is my first time writing Labyrinth fanfiction so I really want to know how I'm doing. Praise and constructive criticism are appreciated and adored; flames will be used to indulge my pyro tendencies. (A friend looks at me. "'Tendencies?!' You're a pyromaniac! You're beyond 'tendencies!'" Me: O:) (That's supposed to be an angel face.))
Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or anything therein; I am just playing a little bit in their world. Please don't sue me, I'm a very poor college student and you really wouldn't get much from me anyway.
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Sarah drug her eyelids open, blinking several times before her sight cleared. Her head hurt, and leaning it against the car window made it worse, but it felt like too much effort to lift it; there was something warm and wet on her face. There was a muffled noise, as if there was water in her ears; it was slowly clearing and the noise becoming clearer.
Screaming.
Her mind felt like it was moving at a snail's pace and it was hard to put things together.
Another thing registered; small hands shaking her; a voice calling her name in her ear.
"Sarah! Sarah! Wake up, Sarah!!!" The voice was full of terror and tears.
Whose voice was that? Her mind struggled to place it; it would be so much easier if that little girl wasn't screaming.
Her mind snapped out of its fog.
Isabella. Her four year old little half sister, Isabella. She was screaming; crying.
Toby. Her seven year old little half brother, Toby. He was shaking her and shouting her name; begging her to wake up.
She forced her head up, pain spiked through her skull; she nearly passed out, but she blinked it back and took deep breaths. She turned to Toby who was in tears, terror in his eyes.
"Sarah! You're awake!" He threw his arms around her.
Sarah weakly returned his embrace; she looked over his head at their younger sister, who was screaming and crying at the top of her lungs in her car seat. "Bella Isabella." Her voice was raspy and barely came out above a whisper as she called out her pet name for her sister; she didn't try to clear her throat, worried that it would disturb her head again, but she swallowed, licked her lips and took a deep breath. "Bella Isabella." Her voice was still raspy but it was louder and the scared little girl turned toward her, no longer screaming, though her face was still red and her eyes still full of tears. She looked at Sarah eyes wide. Sarah reached out a hand and placed it on the tiny one nearest to her on the car seat's arm. "It's gonna be ok, Bella, it's gonna be ok."
Her eyes were still wide and full of fear, but she seemed to be listening to Sarah.
The 22 year old reached down to her little brother and pulled him gently away from her so she could look in his eyes.
His eyes went even wider. "Sarah, you're hurt!" He reached up a hand to the right side of her face; the instant that his fingers touched it in the slightest she hissed and pulled away, inducing pain again.
Sarah grasped his hand and brought it down gently. "I'm fine, Toby." She knew that she was lying, but she had other more important things to deal with. She once again looked him in the eye. "Toby, I need you to be very brave for me ok?" He nodded his eyes still wide. "Now, can you try to unbuckle Isabella for me?" He nodded again and moved over to it as best he could in the wrecked interior of the car; he began working on the straps of his sister's car seat.
Sarah made sure he was preoccupied with that for the moment before she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned forward to the front seat to check on her father and stepmother. She felt her stomach drop out.
The steering wheel was jammed into her father's chest, his head flopped forward. She tentatively reached over and felt for a pulse. She kept her fingers there probably much longer than necessary, just not wanting to believe what she was feeling. She finally pulled her fingers away, closed her eyes and took a deep steadying breath before she turned to Karen. The door had been crushed into Karen; Sarah, with a sense of dread, knew what she was going to find before she placed her fingers against the older woman's neck. She clenched her teeth, forcing the tears back.
"They're not waking up are they?"
She turned at her brother's whispered voice in her ear; she gently pushed him back, doing her best to block the sight from her younger siblings. She opened her mouth to say something; then shut it again, taking in their wide, scared, but trusting eyes. How could this have happened? They had only been going out for a family evening. With Sarah graduating from college in the spring they were trying to get in as many get-togethers as possible before Sarah headed off to wherever it was she had to work after graduation. Christmas had been two days ago with all of them laughing around the Christmas tree watching as the youngest members of the family tore joyfully through their presents. They had just decided to go out ice skating at a small outdoor rink a few miles from their house; it was Sarah's favorite winter activity and it was Isabella's first time. They had been so happy. Then as they drove homeā¦her dad must have hit a patch of ice or something; the next thing they knew they were spinning all over the road as he tried to regain control of the car; then there was the jarring stop and Sarah didn't remember anything else until she regained consciousness several minutes ago.
She continued to look at the two small children. Their entire world had been changed in just a second.
Sarah opened her mouth to say something again, but stopped when she heard a familiar noise that caused dread to settle into her gut; she looked toward the front of the car.
Orange flames licked along the hood of the car.
Sarah reached over and, after a small fight, forced Isabella's door open.
"Out, Toby. Get out." She kept her voice calm as possible as she more or less pushed her little brother out of the car; he complied as quickly as possible. Sarah grabbed Isabella out of her car seat and surged out of the car; she snatched up Toby's hand, he had stopped just outside the car, and pulled him along behind her as she moved as quickly as possible as far away from the car as possible. She heard the explosion behind her and felt the blast of heat; she dropped to the ground, covering the children with her body. She thought she was going to pass out for sure from the pain in her head and face; as it was she lost the contents of her stomach.
When she thought she could move without blacking out she rolled over so that she was off of Toby and Isabella both of whom got up. Sarah glanced around and noticed a tree next to them; she dragged herself over to it and forced herself into sitting position, her back against the trunk. She knew she wasn't going to be able to stand up again.
Isabella climbed into her lap pressing her left side into her sister's chest; Sarah drew her knees up and wrapped her right arm around her little sister so that she could hopefully keep as warm as possible. Toby crawled over to her left side and pressed as close to her as possible; Sarah wrapped that arm around her little brother holding him close as well.
Sarah felt utterly helpless. They were in the middle of nowhere with no buildings nearby and on an empty road. Their odds of being found were dangerously low and she could already feel her hold on consciousness slipping.
"Are we going to die?"
Sarah looked down at her brother's quietly posed question. Two pairs of eyes were watching her. These were her little brother and little sister, and as their big sister she was supposed to protect them.
She gritted her teeth. "No." She closed her eyes praying that, even though she was away from her mirror, they would hear her call. "Hoggle. Ludo. Sir Didymus. I need you."
There was relative silence.
Sarah felt her heart fall. They must not be able to answer her call away from a mirror. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out; stinging the injuries on the right side of her face. She begged whatever higher power might be listening that, whatever happened to her, her siblings would be alright.
"Sarah?"
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Yes I am an evil author who is going to leave you with that. Please let me know what you think!
