Three seconds. That's all it took. Three seconds that costed them a lifetime.
"Duncan, you know I hate this thing!" Courtney stated as she stepped outside wearing a beautiful purple dress. "Not to mention, it'll mess up my hair for our date night!"
Duncan rolled his eyes. "Relax, Princess. It's just a motorcycle, and the car has a flat. Geoff said he'd swing by tomorrow to drop off a new tire."
The brunette crossed her arms in front of her chest and rolled her eyes, "I must be crazy for doing this."
"It's just a motorcycle," he repeated.
"It's a deathtrap!" she retorted. Suddenly, she felt a warm feeling enveloping her in it's embrace. She looked down to see Duncan's arms securely wrapped around her.
"Are you seriously going to let this ruin our date night?" he asked.
Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, which blended beautifully into her mocha brown skin. "I guess not."
He smirked, "Good. Let's get going."
The young couple sat on the motorcycle. Anxiety and adrenaline rushed through her body as the engine was revved up, causing her to clutch tightly onto her lover. He laughed.
"Just hold on tight, babe. I'd never let anything bad happen to you," he assured.
She blushed, yet again, and smiled. She considered herself lucky to find someone like him. She would often ponder during the endless hours of the night why she had fallen for him. One who was so different from her, yet so tantalizingly tempting. It was there she found her answer. Everything he was, was everything she was not. They were like a lock and key, or two pieces of a puzzle. Each was made for the other, and without the other, would never truly complete.
She rested her head on his shoulder as they sped off into the night, allowing the cool air to brush across her face and calm her down. She closed her eyes, only focusing on the feeling of the wind and her body securely against his.
In the blink of an eye, that peaceful feeling of serenity was forced from her when an unearthly screech and sickening lurch forward interrupted her thoughts.
He never saw it coming. How would he know the car would swerve into the other lane because of a patch of ice? It happened in the blink of an eye, in the course of three seconds.
The hard asphalt stung more than the still night air. His vision was blurred as he forced his eyes open, only to see a scene of mangled metal and shattered glass. As the hazy contours turned into clear, vivid lines, he's eyes beheld something far more horrifying.
His princess, once a sight up exquisite beauty, now laid lifelessly on the road.
"Courtney?" Duncan called out, forcing himself to sit up. The dark of the night concealed much of the scene, not even the silvery moon was out to set the world aglow. No, the only source of light came from a small engine fire from the motorcycle tossed on the other side of the road. He wouldn't have noticed the deep red pool of blood if it hadn't contrasted against the bright yellow color of the lane dividers.
Tell him this was a dream. Tell him this was just a nightmare, and that he would soon awaken in the arms of his angel. Tell him this was all an act, like in one of those tragic Shakespearian plays she was so fond of. Tell him it was a hallucination from a head injury he sustained. Tell him anything, except that lifeless body that lay before him was Courtney's.
It was as if all sound deafened, as if his lungs were being constricted by the cold metal scrap from the wreck, and all pain numbed except the ripping and tearing sensation deep in his chest. Would he ever be able to get this vision that seemed to be forever burned into his memory to fade away? Would he ever dare to be able to close his eyes and sleep again?
"Courtney!" he called again, anxiously waiting for any answer or sound to pierce the all too quiet atmosphere. He did not receive the answer he longed for.
Finally, he forced himself up, ignoring the pain from his own wounds. She was more important. His princess was more important.
He fell to his knees before her body, looking her over. How perfect she seemed, how each delicate curve softly formed into her strikingly beautiful body. How her hair, though messy, seemed to frame her now pallid face, or her eyes remained closed as if she were in a distant dreamland.
While she may not have been the kind, she was virtuous. Far more than he ever was. Why then? Why was it her life that had to be taken away? Why not the life of him, the sinner? Maybe this was some twisted form of punishment for all his wrong doings. No, he couldn't have done anything so bad that would inflict this type of purgatory.
He softly lifted her tattered torso into his arms to hold her, just one last time. He watched helplessly as the blood dripped from the corners of her delicate lips. She had always seemed strong and everlasting. Never had she seemed as fragile than in this moment.
Her body no longer hosted the beating of her precious heart, nor radiated the familiar warmth he would come home to every night. Her fiery soul seemed to be extinguished.
What he wouldn't give for one more night. One more laugh. Just one more kiss. Even if he'd be willing to give his life for it, the bargain would never be sealed. She was gone, and in due time would become nothing but a memory. A memory that would strip away all emotion and leave behind a divided soul in it's wake.
He couldn't do that. He couldn't lose her. He had nothing left to live for.
A tragic DxC story dedicated to jessiegaga137 as a belated birthday gift! Hope you liked it! Please review :)