HIGHWAY: PART II

Jae: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! I appreciate it so much. ^_^

Black Jaggan: The crash is meant to be confusing, as that is what it is like in a real accident. And don't let the angst deter you. I'm sure you're just as worried about who I've killed as the next person. Even I didn't know who would make it when I was writing this.

I know you're all so eager to discover the fate of the characters, so I won't keep you waiting.

Disclaimer: See first page


Emily clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to keep from screaming as Max and Judy stared ahead, gasping. "Holy shit," Max forced out, unable to get the image of the Viper flipping into the sky from his mind, everything else happening so fast it was nothing more then a blur in his mind.

Then he was out of the car, ignoring his mother's screams for him to return as he dashed toward the wreckage, spotting Tala and Bryan as they leapt from the Mercedes and made a break toward the smoking ruins.

"Tyson!" Max screamed, tears stinging his eyes as he neared the red Holden. "Kenny! Tyson!"

~~~~*~~~~

He stared ahead, body shaking uncontrollably. He could feel the blood trickling down his arm, windscreen a network of cracks though it had not shattered. He swallowed hard, trying to comprehend what had happened, fighting nausea as he heard someone scream his name, jerking him back to reality.

"Maxxy," Tyson choked, pain blazing through him. "Maxxy."

Max pulled the door open, blue eyes wide with terror. "Are you guys okay?"

"I… I think…" Tyson blinked. "What the hell just happened?"

"You crashed, Ty." Max's eyes moved downward, widening. "Oh my god, Tyson! You're arm!"

Tyson's gaze moved downward, realising for the first time what had caused the injury. The impact had launched him against the wheel, his arm shattering under the stress, bone piercing the skin. He moaned. "I think I'm going to be sick."

He threw himself out of the car, stumbling to the roadside and collapsing to his knees, stomach lurching. Max glanced back at him before turning back to the remaining occupant, frowning. "Kenny?"

"She's gone." Kenny whispered, tears streaking his face as he clutched the remains of the laptop. "Dizzi's gone."

"Kenny, you've got to get out of there." Max hurried around to the other side of the car, opening that door and reaching over to unfasten Kenny's seatbelt, pulling at his friends arm, noticing the trickle of blood rolling down the others forehead. "You need to get to safety. If the car catches fire, you'll be killed."

"She's gone," Kenny repeated, barely noticing Max as the other yanked him from the seat, pulling him away. "Dizzi! She's gone! She's gone!"

Judy was by Tyson's side, leading the teen back toward the Kia, where Emily continued to sit, paralysed by her shock.

~~~~*~~~~

"Hey!" Tala hurried to the first car, the white Ford a crippled mess, windows blown out by the impact. "Can anyone hear me? Hey!"

Skidding to a halt by the driver's door he found the young woman and elderly man both slumped in their seats. Tala winced despite himself as he spotted their injuries, reaching in to check the pulse of the female driver. Shaking his head at finding none, he hurried to the other side, stopping before reluctantly checking the man's, already knowing that he was dead as well. His neck had snapped.

Moving to walk away, Tala stopped at the sound of a sob. Turning back, a red strand of hair fell into his ice eyes, which blinked as he spotted the small form. Smiling faintly, he stepped forward, peeking in the rear passenger window. "Hello there."

Green watery eyes looked up at him, lower lip pouted as she whimpered, a lock of dark curly hair falling over her face. Tala glanced up and spotted the truck driver slipping from the cabin, legs unstable as he staggered away from the wreckage. Narrowing his eyes, Tala returned his attention to the little girl. "Let's see if I can get you out of there."

Tugging at the door, he found it jammed shut from where the green Holden had slammed into it, bending the side inwards. Glancing up at the wreckage of the 4WD, Tala spotted Ray as the neko-jin worked at freeing the unconscious Mariah from her restraints. Ray looked out at him, the windscreen gone.

"Are they okay?"

Tala shook his head. "Driver and passenger are dead. But I've got a kid in here. You?"

"Cut's and bruises. Mariah's alive but not responding." Ray swallowed, eyes glazing over. "Did you see the Viper…"

Tala nodded, the image playing through his mind. "Yeah." He forced himself out of his revere. "Get her out of there and back to my car. I'm going to try and grab the girl."

Turning away, Tala jumped up onto the roof of the Ford. The rear end of the car was gone, so Tala carefully slid himself down into the crumpled frame that was once the rear window. The interior smelt of blood and smoke, the little girl looking up at him, clutching her doll tighter to her.

"Just me again," he said softly. "My names Tala. What's yours?"

"Hana," the girl, perhaps six-years-old, replied. She held up her doll. "This Cindy."

"Hello Cindy." Tala forced the smile onto his lips, reaching forward the undo the girl's restraints. "Do you or Cindy hurt anywhere, Hana?"

The girl nodded, displaying an arm. "Something bit me, and Cindy hit her head."

Tala looked at the arm and spotted the long slash. From the glass, he guessed. I'm surprised anyone could have survived this. "We're going to get out of the car, okay? But we're going to have to climb out the window. Are you good at climbing?"

The girl nodded. "Me and Cindy best climbers at school. We climb really high and Mummy and Poppy can't see us."

Tala stood on the seat, threading his way up through the window. "Come on, Hana. Out you come."

The girl hesitated, looking toward the front of the car. "Are Mummy and Poppy gonna climb out too?"

Tala frowned. How was he going to say this… "We have to go first, Hana."

"They tired?"

"Yes, little one. They're tired."

"Me not tired." Hana scrambled out of the window, clutching the doll to her. As soon as she was free, Tala scooped the child up into his arms, feeling awkward. Hopping off the roof, he slid to the ground, glancing at the 4WD and seeing that it was empty. Looking ahead, he spotted Ray limping through the smoke, Mariah in his arms.

He held the girl tighter to him. "You're very brave, Hana."

She looked up at him with her big eyes, and Tala felt as if he were melting. "Is Cindy brave too?"

He smiled warmly. "Yes. Cindy is brave too."

~~~~*~~~~

He couldn't breath. Every attempt agony as he sat rigid in the front seat. Then the lump moved, causing him to cough hard, blood spurting over the dash. He gasped, the world spinning as he swung himself around, flaying at the door, longing to be out.

A well placed kick knocked the door from its hinges, his last support falling away as he slumped to the ground, pain ripping through him. He rolled onto his back, watching the black smoke as it rolled up into the sky, drifting on the breeze.

He rested his head back against the bitumen, eyes squeezed closed. It had all happened so fast he had barely had time to register it. He had seen the metal fall, had seen the rubber of the car in front's tire shred from its rim before the car clipped the truck. He had pulled at the wheel, then came the impact…

He rolled onto his side, spitting more blood as he clutched his chest. The air bag… it must have been packed wrong. It had shot out like a cannon, slamming into his chest. He had heard ribs shatter, his head slamming into it… then nothing.

Crimson eyes blinked, gazing back at the wreckage. The Viper was a write off, that much was clear. Black smoke rolled from the other side of the truck, bits of metal from its load strewn across the highway. He did not know how the others had fared, but judging by the speed, they would have been able to do nothing to avoid impact-

A moan brought his head around, and instantly he regretted the sharp movement as pain shot along his spine. He frowned as he spotted the crumpled form and he pushed himself up, dragging himself across the lanes toward the other.

Reaching their side, his gaze racked them, fingers unsteadily reaching up to pry what was left of the helmet away from the head and tossing it aside. Eyes took in the blood trickling down from a deep gash, and he heard the unsteadiness of the breathing, much like his own.

"Lee." He frowned. "Lee. Lee Yin, come on. Wake up."

He heard the other let out a shuddering breath, orange-gold eyes cracking open, glazed at first before he managed to blink it away, focusing on the one above him. "Kai…"

"Easy." Kai turned away, spitting more blood onto the bitumen before wiping his mouth, clearing his throat. "What hurts?"

"What doesn't." Lee made to push himself up, giving a sharp bark of pain and slumping once more to the ground. "Kai, my arm. My left one. Tell me."

Kai's eyes shot to the arm Lee was lying on, taking in the angle, the twists, the bends. "You've shattered it. Almost all the way down."

"Jesus." Lee squeezed his eyes closed, placing his other hand over his eyes. "My career…"

Kai nodded in sympathy, fully understanding Lee's situation. He pressed a hand against his chest, turning and spitting more blood. "Mine too."

Lee looked up at him. "What have…"

"Ribs. Internal."

"Shit." Lee gritted his teeth, biting back his cry of agony as he sat up, arm dragging along the ground behind him.

Now that he was up, Kai could fully survey the damage. As he had guessed, the arm was shattered, already turning a strange colour due to the loss of circulation. Veins stuck up beneath the skin, bleeding heavily where the jacket had been torn away in the impact. He looked up, eyes searching the surroundings.

"We've got to get to the other side of the truck."

Lee nodded. "Yeah. The others."

Kai made to stand, only to collapse back to his knees as nausea swept over him. Lee faired no better, not even making it off his knees. Looking at each other, they came to a mutual agreement, gripping each other by the shoulders they leant against one another, pulling themselves to their feet.

Swaying unsteadily, they moved as one, staggering into the smoke to discover the fate of their teammates.

~~~~*~~~~

Bryan moved toward the green Holden, swearing as he took in the twisted metal that had once been the car he had envied the neko-jin for. Black smoke poured from the wreckage, front lost beneath the trailer of the truck, pieces of scrap metal fallen to pierce the roof.

Preparing himself for the worst, Bryan stepped undaunted into the heat, pulling himself up onto the boot, strangely undamaged, and kicked in the already cracked back window. "You alive?"

"Yeah," came the answer, voice weak and contorted with pain. "Go figure."

Bryan smirked, sliding down into the backseat. "You need to get out of here, Ki. This things leakin' fuel."

"Been trying to get out of here." The head turned toward him, the corners of the violet eyes tight with pain. "Front ends caved in. It's trapped me good. You get out of here. This things gonna blow."

"Not without you."

Bryan leant over between the seats, taking in the situation. As Kevin had said, the front end had caved in beneath the weight of the truck, the dash almost resting in the neko-jin's lap. The steering wheel had been forced back into his chest, one arm pinned between it and the seat.

Blood trailed down his face and bare arms, Bryan noting that one of the pieces of scrap metal was stuck into the back of the seat having barely missed his head, but also having grazed Kevin's shoulder.

Frowning, Bryan slid back into the back seat, searching the sides of the drivers chair and finding the release, yanking it and tilting the seat back, Kevin barking in pain before he gasped, forcing a smirk.

"Actually, that felt pretty good."

Bryan raised an eyebrow at Kevin's wit. He moved across the tugged at the passenger seat, dropping it back as well before he slid into the front of the car. Narrowing his eye, he looked back at the younger man. "Don't get the wrong idea."

"Huh?"

Bryan reached through the wheel and between Kevin's legs, the Chinaman at once understanding what the Russian had meant. Searching, Bryan's fingers found the release for the seat. "Let's see if this works."

The seat shot back a couple of pegs, Kevin almost screaming as the pain ripped through his lower body. He gritted his teeth as Bryan frowned, the seat having become jammed. Kevin glared at the elder. "Friggin hell, man, that hurt!"

"Gonna hurt worse before this is over." Bryan pondered the situation. "Seats stuck."

"Legs are stuck," Kevin corrected. He growled through clenched teeth as he tried to pull them free. "They're caught on something. Anyway, if this things leakin petrol, shouldn't you be trying to avoid sparks? Not trying to create them?"

"You've gotta point." Bryan slid down, wishing for a torch as he gazed at the dash. Swinging around, he tugged it upwards, the front lifting ever so slightly. "I lift, you pull."

"Gotcha."

Moving to get a better grip on the dash, Bryan looked back at the neko-jin. "Now."

As Bryan heaved the dash up, Kevin got a grip on the door and pulled himself back, continuing though the pain blazed through him. He succeeded in getting one leg out, planting it against the dash and using it to push himself back. Bryan let out a growl as the dash slipped, crashing back down.

Kevin roared in pain and frustration, throwing himself forward and pulling open glove compartment.

Bryan frowned. "What you doing?"

Kevin retrieved the switchblade, flicking it open. "Getting free."

Bryan's eyes widened as Kevin sat up, using the blade to saw at the steering wheel. Quickly realising that that wouldn't work, he turned the blade onto a new target.

"No!" Bryan grabbed at the blade, but Kevin pushed him roughly away. Bryan felt his stomach turn. Despite all the things he had seen and done in the past, this had to be the worst he had ever encountered. "You'll lose your leg."

Kevin moaned at the pain as he continued to hack at his own flesh, cutting it away from where it was trapped. He pulled again, the limb now slippery with blood, sliding against the interior of the car and coming free.

Bryan caught his arm, Kevin holding him back and reaching into his bag, taking the purple blade and placing it in his pocket before allowing Bryan to pull him from the wreckage. Once outside, the smell of petrol doubled, Kevin gasping as he got his first good look at the extent of the damage.

Bryan draped Kevin's arm around his shoulder, catching him around the waist and almost dragging the younger away from the remains of the green Holden. Kevin glanced back and spotted the flames licking under the hood, pupils narrowing as he realised how close the car was to exploding.

"I suggest we run now."

~~~~*~~~~

"She's cute," Emily observed, smiling at the girl in Tala's arms. "Hi there, Hana. My names Emily."

Tala smiled. "You've got to say hello to Cindy as well."

Emily frowned in confusion, only to laugh softly as the curly haired girl held out her doll. "Hello Cindy."

Ray smiled, cradling Mariah against him and looking up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Max let out a whoop as Kai and Lee emerged through the smoke, all having had given up Kai for dead after seeing the Viper take to the air.

The two men collapsed against the black Mercedes, gasping, Kai spitting more blood as Lee looked across at Ray, who met his best friends gaze. Lee's eyes drifted downward, taking in Mariah.

"I think she hit her head," Ray explained. "I can't get her to wake up."

"Keep checking her pulse," Judy ordered. "Understand me?"

Ray nodded.

Lee looked around, feeling his stomach knot. "Where's Kevin?"

Tala looked up. "Bryan went looking for him. He's not back yet so-"

Emily and Hana screamed as the explosion ripped through the air, the sound of breaking glass and metal causing all to look up. Tala's face paled as he swallowed hard, eyes searching the merciless black smoke for any sign of his friend, Ray and Lee the same.

"What the hell was that?" Tyson gasped.

"My car."

They looked up, relief playing across Lee's face as Bryan and Kevin emerged through the smoke, Kevin limping heavily. Bryan gently eased the younger man down beside Ray before moving across to where Tala sat, the group all of a sudden feeling more secure now that all their number were present.

All but one.

"She's gone," Kenny continued. "She's gone."

Kai frowned. "What's he on about?"

"Dizzi was destroyed," Tyson explained. "The laptop hit the dash and pretty much broke apart. There were bits everywhere."

Ray glanced sideways at the youngest of the White Tigers, eyes travelling downward before he inhaled sharply. "My god, Kevin, what happened to your legs?"

Tyson looked around, feeling his stomach twist. "Ooo, I'm going to be sick again…"

"He was trapped," Bryan explained. "He cut himself free."

Lee's eyes widened. "You did that, Kev?"

Kevin didn't answer, instead looking up, closing his eyes and cocking his head to the side, listening. "Sirens."

"About time," Judy stated. "I put the call in over 15 minutes ago."

"Gone," Kenny whispered. "She's gone. Gone…"

Max blinked as Kenny fell silent, turning to regard his friend. "Chief? You okay?" He moved closer, shaking his friend. "Kenny? Kenny, wake up. Kenny. Mum!"

Judy rushed to Kenny's side as the emergency services approached. Lee sighed, resting his head on Kai's shoulder, Kai looking down at him quickly before catching Bryan's eye. "Can you do something for me, Falcon?"

Bryan raised an eyebrow. "That depends. Tell me and I'll decide."

Kai told him.


All safe and sound… to a degree. And Dizzi's gone. Bet you didn't see that coming.