Rain pelts the pick-up truck as it comes in relentless sheets. The truck navigates through the nearly-flooded narrow road, creeping at a painfully slow speed.
The driver, Beck Oliver, squints through the dark, his hands clasped securely around the wheel to prevent any slides. Flashes of lightning dance across the sky, scorching it an electric blue, before the light is engulfed in an inky black and resounding claps of thunder arise.
Beck sighs as another boom echos, and he glances at the digital clock to see it's well pass midnight. He dares to push the gas a little more, sending the truck to more of a crawl than a creep.
However during his endeavor a flicker of white catches his eyes. Upon closer observation, he realizes that it's a figure waving an arm frantically. His brows knit together, and he briefly wonders whether the figure is a serial killer, regardless his intuition take greater precedence as he dashes out the truck.
His shoes splash against the pavement and at last he reaches the unknown figure. At a closer glance he realizes the severity of the situation.
A jagged gash surges torrents of crimson down the girl's cheek. Blood blossoms from under the ebony fabric of her shirt, evidence of another slash. Her arm hangs limply at her side, likely broken, and shades of purple blotch her skin in a myriad of bruises.
"Oh my God..." Beck whispers, merely gazing at the injured girl. However he's pulled out of his reverie as she falls to her knees, a pained gasp escaping her lips.
Beck rushes towards her, his heart hammering wildly against his chest, "What happened?" he asks frantically as he kneels next to her.
"Car...crashed." she manages, though her voice is easily swallowed by the rain.
He peers through the downpour, and spots the destroyed guard rail where the girl's car must have run through, consequently landing in the forest of trees.
"Shit." the curse makes the girl grimace in agreement. "Okay, don't worry." he looks back down at her, and rummages through his pocket "Let me just call 911 and- yea hello?" he nearly shouts in the receiver, over a bellow of thunder. "There's a serious car accident on Griffin Rd...it's just one person, she's really hurt...okay thank you." He nervously runs a hand through his drenched hair while sticking the phone in his pocket.
"They're not gonna come in time." the girl murmurs, sapphire eyes staring wearily at him.
He glances back at the road, chewing his lip slightly "Maybe they'll send a helicopter or something." he offers.
She rolls her eyes, too tired to point out the unlikeness of a helicopter coming.
A tense silence passes, and the injured girl stares at Beck, slightly confused by his kindness. However before she can ponder further, a wave of pain floods through her, and she shuts her eyes, willing the pain away.
Suddenly she feels a weight on her shoulders, and she flinches seeing the boy above her placing a jacket over her shivering frame.
"So what's your name?" he asks, trying to distract her from the pain.
"Jade." she mutters, and he almost doesn't catch it.
"My name's Beck." he replies, "Beck Oliver."
"Pleasure." she mumbles sarcastically, though her response is almost lost in a harsh cough that leaves her clutching her ribs, and blood trickling from her lips.
"Are you-" he begins worriedly
"What do you think?" she pants.
A thick silence follows with Jade trying to regain her breath while Beck can only watch helplessly.
"Sorry." she finally says.
"No, that was a stupid question anyways."
"Yeah, a little bit." she smirks weakly and her body shakes with another shuttering breath.
"How long have you been out here?" Beck asks with a creased brow.
"Twenty...thirty minutes." she replies between labored pants.
"Shit." He mutters, and a stretch of silence only interrupted by the heavy sheets of rain and claps of thunder follows.
As Jade sits crouched in the downpour with Beck's oversized jacket hanging limply around her shoulders, he notices the blue-grey tint rimming her nails and lips, and knows from looking at his own fingers that it isn't from the cold.
Suddenly Jade falls into a violent coughing fit and her uninjured arm clutches her ribs in vain. Blood spills from her lips and splashes into a puddle staining it scarlet. Her eyes are clenched shut in pain as her breaths come out ragged and uneven.
Beck stares at her feeling completely helpless and at a lost. He settles with a hand on her knee and attempts to keep his voice level, "It's going to be alright, okay?" Even to his ears his 'words of comfort' sound pathetic and less than comforting.
She looks at him through half-lidded eyes, the usual piercing blue now dull and lifeless. Her lips quirk into humorless smirk, "Right." Is her only response, and as blood cascades from the gash spread across her cheek, and her skin grows ashen, contrasting dramatically with the vivid crimson, Beck feels as if he is already staring at a corpse.
A white hot pain sprawls out across Jade's ribs and she grasps them tighter with a pained gasp. Another wave of brutal coughs rips through Jade's chest, blood smearing her lips and spattering the the ground. As it dies down, spots begin to pepper her vision and she sways slightly on her knees.
Beck quickly closes the distance between them so that he is right next to her. She falls gently into his embrace, and he's shocked by how much colder she is than him.
His clothes are dyed crimson as blood continues to surge from her wounds. He listens to Jade's strained breathing and measures them with his own, as if comparing life and death. However soon they become more panicked and rough. Her chest heaves with each desperate gasp for air.
"Hey, stay with me okay?" Beck pleas, and squeezes her good arm gently.
However darkness is beginning to creep in from the corner of her vision and his words sounded nothing more than meaningless syllables plowed together. Her heart thuds painfully, the beat too quick and irregular, and she wonders how exactly she came to this point.
Another surge of blood storms up her throat and she coughs harshly, choking slightly. Her breaths soon come slower and fainter. She tries to focus on something, anything, but but finds that it is all fading. The chill of the rain, the flashes of lightening and crack of thunder; she's completely numb.
Beck pulls the injured girl closer into his hold, as if the slight heat will curb death's grip on her. Regardless, a harrowing silence ensues and he's nearly oblivious to the downpour as he was only able to focus on the faint rise and fall of Jade's chest. It's sporadic and weak, and Beck settles on counting the seconds until help arrives.
Though within his grip, Jade's breath hitches piercing the silence. He peers down at her, waiting for the slight movement of her chest signaling the dim chance of life. However she remains frozen, her eyes still slightly open, staring unseeing into the unknown.
He quickly unwraps his arm from around her and feels for a pulse. The chill of her skin nipped at his fingers, and he counts to ten before abandoning his efforts. Instead he gently lies her on the side of the road, almost hoping for some sign of pain to show there was a bit of life in her. Instead she limply falls to the ground, ebony hair sprawled her like a halo. He lifts her chin gingerly and hurriedly breathes air into her blue-tinted lips. He tries to ignore the distinct taste of blood on his tongue as he proceeds to push against her heart, hoping to get at least a couple beats out of it until an ambulance arrives.
His breathing is jagged with panic as he continues to perform CPR on the corpse. While pumping at her chest one more time, he looks back at the girl and realizes his attempts are futile. He sits back, breathing heavily, and in the distance he thinks he hears a wave of sirens.