The snow whizzed through the air in fat clumps, sticking to the windshield before being wiped away by the window wipers and sticking to the hood of a Corolla, spotting the forest green paint job a pale white before melting away from the heat.
"Slow the hell down!" the passenger cried while punching the driver's bicep softly
The driver smiled and kept his emerald orbs on the road, chuckling and tapping his pinky and ring finger on the steering wheel to Queen's The Night Comes Down which was playing through an mp3 player connected to a rat's nest of cables for an audio jack.
The driver's distant and absent minded humming echoed through the car while the rumbling of the wheels created its own rhythmic humming.
The driver then sharply turned the steering wheel, jutting the car off the freeway and on to a nearby road.
"We are fine!" he said, his rough Spanish accent seeming to calm the passenger, who turned to him and shot him a glare, and if looks could kill, the driver would be dead.
"Bastard, make sure to watch out on the intersection up ahead!" The passenger nearly yelled, to which the driver gave a slight nod and hummed.
The song on the radio ended and the car was brought to a heavy silence, the low rumble of the wheels against the pavement creating an ambiance throughout the car, without taking away from the awkwardness off the silence.
The driver opened his mouth, but before he could make small talk to break the ice, the song on the radio switched. A wining of a guitar echoed through the car, mimicking the siren sound of an ambulance, and the passenger's eyes lit up, but the frown stayed plastered on his face. he quickly turned the volume nob on the radio before crossing his arms again.
"You like this song?" The driver questioned through a dopey smirk while giving the passenger a glance.
"What does it matter to you?" the passenger spat before giving the driver another glare. The passenger then looked out the window, facing away from the driver, and began to quietly sing along with the song, his voice in a cautious mumble.
"Bury me in the bedroom where I,
I can sing you to sleep all night.
Put me next to the open window,
promise me a second time.
'Cause I don't want to leave without you buried by my side.
I'd rather kill the one responsible for falling stars at night,
'cause they fall all around me.
The night can be deadly."
The driver then turned to the passenger, his lips pressed together to cage a chuckle that was rippling through his body.
The passenger stopped his singing.
"What the hell are you laughing about?" he snapped, he leaned forward, threatening the driver's personal space.
"You should sing louder." The driver continued, "It sounds nice."
The passenger just deepened his frown and huffed. His Eyes than quickly widened in shock and his hands flew to the steering wheel.
"Oh! SHI-!" But before he could finish his sentence he was flung forward in a ditch attempt of hitting the breaks so they didn't crash into another car at the intersection. A crash of metal rang through the car, and the hissing of airbags expanding was heard.
The impact knocked the driver onto the car door, leaving his head, as well as his heart, pounding. The music was echoing eerily into the silence of the night, making the hairs rise on his neck in fear. The radio, now damaged, let the siren wail of the guitar seem louder than the lyrics.
"And they'll never take us alive.
(Can you chase away the darkness?)
To live in love and die.
Last night she recited every reason she's fine.
So if we're heading there together at the same time,
you sing while I drive"
The song reminded the former driver of the passenger that was also with him, he began to panic, flailing his arms in an attempt to push down the air bags.
When the passenger was visible the driver started to choke back sobs and shake his head, mumbling "This can't be right." Under his breath, shock setting in. the whole world seemed to be in slow motion, nothing was right. Big fat tears rolled from his emerald orbs and rested on his jawline, before falling onto the forehead of the passenger.
The other car on the intersection had slammed into the passenger side, making the door cave onto the passenger, his torso broken and his ribs pointing out at odd angles under his skin and his breathing labored, his left leg appeared to be broken at the shin, while a shard of sheet metal appeared to be stabbing into his right thigh, a pool of blood already forming onto his seat, and the metallic smell it brought filled the drivers nostrils. He swallowed the vomit that ripped up his throat.
Tears started streaming down again and he cried out into the night.
"God what have I done?!" he cupped the passengers face and rubbed a bloody thumb over his cheek, before putting an ear to his chest, listening to his faint breathing which was slowing down progressively, to the listener's horror.
He lifted his head up and let out an enraged grunt, filled with pain.
"I'm sorry Lovi, I'm so, so, so sorry!" he screamed into the night while blinking away tears. The sound of actual sirens echoed through the night and drowned him out.
He put his ear to the passenger again, but lightly, as if the man was made of crumbling china, and not skin and bone.
His breathing had stopped, and grief and anger filled his face. He clutched the passenger's hand lightly and kissed his forehead, for what he knew was the last time.
The squeak of an old parking brake was heard and the driver let go of his friend to poke his head out the window to find a parked ambulance and fire truck. The red flashing lights made the trees appear to be dancing as they flickered.
A woman ran out of the ambulance toward their car, her ginger braid bouncing off her shoulders, and by the time she made it to the car, she was panting heavily.
Her sea-glass green eyes flicked around the interior of the car frantically, as if assessing damage hurriedly, before falling over the corpse of the passenger.
The driver looked at him again and became teary, before looking at the woman and snapping.
"He's dead! You got here too late!" his glare burned strait through the woman, before softening and letting tears stream down his face again.
"This is my fault!" he cried "Not yours! I'm sorry!"
The woman looked him I the eyes and sighed, while putting her hand on her hip.
"I'm sorry sir, can you get out of the car or do you need help?" the woman said nervously.
"I'm fine" the man said under his breath before opening the door of the car and limping out, he stumbled and the woman ran forward and caught him.
She shot him a nervous glance and offered a shoulder, to which he propped himself upon and gave her a tired smile.
As they were walking back the man took one last look at the car and the warm corpse of his friend, and chocked back another sob. What had he done?!