Fall Together – Chapter 1
Everything falls apart
Disclaimer: You'd think after all this time, I'd somehow at least own some part of these characters. This is, unfortunately, not the case.
Monica reached over to the passenger side of her car, quickly dialing the buttons on her cellular phone that was sitting in the hands-free device. Her eyes never left the rain-soaked road, as she halted briefly at a stop sign at the highway entrance. The phone began to ring, and Monica peered out her side-view mirror, before successfully merging into traffic. The phone rang again, three times…
"Damnit!" she muttered as the answering machine clicked.
"You've reached the Bing residence," her own recorded voice sang, "We are unavailable at the moment, but if you leave your number and a brief message, we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you."
A shrill beep filled the interior of the silver SUV. For a moment, she did not speak, as she attempted to navigate in the rapidly growing rainstorm. The windshield wipers moved back and forth in a steady rhythm, and Monica bent forward, squinting.
"Hey Chandler, pick up," she began distractedly, "It's me, stop screening!" She paused, expecting him to pick up. "Okay, I guess you're still out with the kids. I'll be home in twenty minutes or so. If you beat me, there're leftovers in the fridge. Ya know, just in case you guys haven't eaten yet, or you have and - Jack's still hungry." She chuckled. "Okay, see you soon, Sweetie. Bye!"
She disconnected the call, before turning her complete attention back upon the road. Even without the rain, the cold winter night would still have been far from pleasant. The bare trees swayed loudly in the wind and Monica shivered, before reaching down to turn up the heat. She could hardly wait to return home for the night. She imagined her bed, warm and inviting under the covers, and yawned. She was beyond exhausted. Yet another long and grueling 12-hour shift had taken its toll on her body.
Monica decided that, tomorrow, she would ask her boss for a raise. She had put in many long hours over the past few months, and, every one of her co-workers had informed her that, if it were not for her exceptional organizational skills, they did not know how the restaurant would have made it through the unprecedented, busy fall season. She felt pride creeping over her, and she tried to restrain a smile, but failed miserably. The grin was quickly wiped from her face when she almost passed her exit. She shook her head, attempting to clear her weary mind, before taking the highway exit at the right.
The light was green as she reached the next street. Excited by this rare occurrence, Monica increased pressure on the gas pedal, hoping to beat the light before it turned red. As she reached the intersection, Monica smiled, celebrating a silent triumph, when suddenly she noticed a pair of blinding headlights approaching with unnatural speed, directly in front of her car. Fear seized her body as she impulsively swerved to the right.
The light grew brighter with each rapdily approaching moment. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. There was a loud crash. She flew forward. The smell of blood filled her nostrils, as glass sheared her skin. All at once, she felt an unbearably strong force wrack her body as it threatened to rip her apart, limb-by-limb.
She might have screamed, but, in later memories, she could not tell whether the shrieking she heard came from her mouth or from inside her head. However, the sounds of screeching tires and breaking glass was clear amid the twisting metal and grueling speeds. She suddenly felt a new, searing pain, but from where, she could not tell. Moments later, her head plummeted against the airbag, as she slipped away into a welcomed world of undisturbed darkness.
A/N: Note in chapter two. Continue, if you dare.