Prologue

The smell of freshly baked pizza wafted through the car. It was mouthwatering.

Colleen Brennan was tempted over and over again to take a slice from the pizza box in the passenger seat next to her. Just a small one. Surely it wouldn't be missed.

But then she remembered Tory, waiting for her at home. She must be starving.

Colleen sighed and glanced to her right at the clock above the car stereo. It read 6:04. She promised her daughter that she'd be home with dinner before 6:30 today.

Tory wouldn't be happy if she was late again.

Pushing harder on the gas pedal, she accelerated a little. The car lurched forward more than Colleen expected. Her eyes widened a fraction. She wasn't sure how to react.

Nothing like this had ever happened before.

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, Colleen frantically tried to regain control of the car. She stomped down on the brakes like her life depended on it, which it probably did. But the car didn't even slow down.

Much to her horror, it sped up.

Last time she checked, the car was working just fine. For an old car, anyway. Colleen couldn't afford to buy a new car with the little money she earned from waiting tables. So she settled for a used white Corolla.

It was still in relatively good condition when she bought it. There weren't any scratches on the side. The windows and doors were still intact. The interior was free of old stains and tears. Not to mention that she got it for much cheaper than it originally cost.

All in all, it seemed like a pretty good deal to Colleen. At the time.

The car staggered again, throwing Colleen forward much harder than before. Her head narrowly missed a rough hit to the steering wheel.

Where are the stupid airbags? Shouldn't they have been activated by now?

Colleen didn't know anything about how a car functioned. But she did suspect that airbags would come in handy at a time like this.

She just had to figure out how to activate them.

Glancing around for help, she realized with a sinking feeling that the street she was on was completely deserted. No one would be able to help her now.

If only she hadn't taken the shortcut home. At least if she crashed while going on the long way, someone would see her and go for help. Here, there was no one around but her.

Colleen swerved around a row of road signs. The tires screeched loudly as she did. It hurt her ears. She hoped someone would hear the sound and call for help. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on.

Suddenly, a small dot appeared in the distance. It was on the same road, gradually heading towards her. She sighed in relief. They'd dial for help. She'd be rescued in no time. She just had to hold on for a little longer.

Again, Colleen tried the brakes. The car only accelerated, almost running over a nearby tree in the way.

Something was seriously wrong with her car.

The small dot eventually got near enough for Colleen to distinguish it as a bright red BMW, but she couldn't make out the driver's appearance very well through the car window. Her car was still moving too fast for that.

Then the steering wheel chose that moment to stop working.

Dizziness threatened to overwhelm her as the car began moving in wide circles on its own. It spun and spun and spun until Colleen felt like vomiting all over the car floor.

Everything around her became a big blur of colors as she continued to whirl uncontrollably. She caught a glimpse of a flashing traffic light. Nothing else was clear. She couldn't even see the red BMW anymore.

Colleen closed her eyes and tried to control her erratic breathing, feeling lost and beyond hopeless. For a brief moment, she thought of Tory, expecting her to come home any minute now with dinner ready to be served.

If I die here, she'll probably never get to meet Kit. Her own dad.

Then there was a sudden flash of red. Colleen realized a second too late that it was the same shade of red as the BMW. The car that she thought would help her.

A loud crash followed. Then came the blackness.

Hello sci-philes! Like the nickname? Anyways, this is my first FanFiction story for Virals. I have one other for Gallagher Girls that I'm currently working on that's called Don't Judge a Girl by Her Past Cover. I'm going to have to split my time between those two stories so please bear with me! I will do my best to update quickly!

I hope you like this prologue. I've been wanting to make a prequel to Virals for a while. So here it is! But with my own twist. In this story, Colleen Brennan's death wasn't so accidental...

Please review if you think I should continue!

-Sky