Welcome back! Great to hear from everyone and thanks so much for the great compliments. I'm so glad so many of you enjoy my writing! It really makes it worth while to do something I love (writing) and know that people enjoy what I write. Oddly, that sounded strangely like an acceptance speech for some award...in a way, reviews are rewards.
Enjoy! Please read and review!
Gordo's mouth went dry as he felt his heart sink somewhere near his feet. The pulsating rhythm raced as he struggled to maintain steady breaths. As the heat prickled his skin, he slowly pulled himself into an upright position. Bits of debris shifted off of him, and he turned to look at the woman he'd been trying to protect.
Kate's face looked even more ashen in the glow from the dancing flames. His fingers traced along the soft, cold skin of her neck. If he could find that reassurance of her pulse, everything would seem better.
His fingers skimmed her jaw line.
Nothing.
A strange feeling of panic rose in his throat. His mind raced over everything he could remember from first aid class. What could he do, what should he do? Instinct won over logic, as he slipped his hand under her neck, his thumb gently pulling down her chin. Squeezing her nose, he covered her mouth with his own and blew a puff of air. His hands joined mid air and met at her chest, he pressed down with two thrust and a sudden cough from Kate flung his hands back.
He slipped his hand behind her neck again, cradling it as she attempted to sit up.
"Easy, Kate, wait a second," he coaxed gently.
Her large blue eyes fluttered for a moment. She leaned her head back against his hand as a moan passed her lips. "What happened?" she asked, her hand pressed to the side of her temples.
Gordo's eyes roamed her face. The smudges of dirt, the small cut near the hairline that he'd missed when removing her from the car. "You were in an accident."
Something that sounded like a hybrid between a moan and a grunt escaped Kate's lips. She pressed her hand to her head and slowly lifted her thin body into an upright position. Her eyes tried to focus upon Gordo as she blinked profusely and slowly turned her head towards the fiery mess that was her car. "Is that...?"
"Your car," he nodded slowly. "I think the gas line ruptured and the heat caused something to spark."
"And you pulled me out?" she clarified, turned her head away from the burning vehicle as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
He nodded, but didn't say more. He was watching her as she tried to take in all the new information. Her expression was that of a bewildered child and he shared her feeling. Whatever the hell had happened had never ever been through Hillridge before. His mind wrestled with the idea of a hurricane, even though they were pretty far inland. But the idea just didn't work. He sighed, not willing to accept high winds would flip two cars.
Suddenly, his heart flipped inside his chest. If they were here, and this had happened to their cars, what had actually happened in Hillridge? Lizzie and Miranda were at her house, were they okay? What about his parents?
His fist instinctively tightened over the useless cell phone in his pocket. "We have to get back to Hillridge. We'll have to walk. Do you think you can make it?"
Kate titled her head to the side as she staggered to her feet. "Where's your car?"
"Back there, on the roof."
Kate looked oddly disappointed by this news. Gordo stared at her and started to walk in the same direction he'd been when he'd happened upon her car. He flicked on the flashlight and craned it around him, hoping that he wouldn't see another car in a similar situation as he'd found his or Kate's.
"Where are you going?" her voice suddenly carried.
Gordo slowly turned and stared at him. "Whatever happened flipped our cars and did a lot of damage to trees and everything around us. Look at all the branches on the road. There's no reception on the cell phones, so we have to walk back."
Kate's expression was still blank. "Won't someone come out here to check?"
Gordo found his patients quickly ebbing and anger rising. "Kate, what ever happened to us happened at Hillridge." He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "All the emergency assistance will be in Hillridge helping everyone there." He felt the oddest sensation rush though him as everything around him seemed to precariously tilt. He forced his eyes shut and pressed his hands to his head. The dull throbbing he'd been trying to ignore, suddenly increased as he staggered forward. Someone, off in the distance, he heard Kate's frantic voice fill his head. Then silence shrouded him.
Enjoy! Please read and review!
Gordo's mouth went dry as he felt his heart sink somewhere near his feet. The pulsating rhythm raced as he struggled to maintain steady breaths. As the heat prickled his skin, he slowly pulled himself into an upright position. Bits of debris shifted off of him, and he turned to look at the woman he'd been trying to protect.
Kate's face looked even more ashen in the glow from the dancing flames. His fingers traced along the soft, cold skin of her neck. If he could find that reassurance of her pulse, everything would seem better.
His fingers skimmed her jaw line.
Nothing.
A strange feeling of panic rose in his throat. His mind raced over everything he could remember from first aid class. What could he do, what should he do? Instinct won over logic, as he slipped his hand under her neck, his thumb gently pulling down her chin. Squeezing her nose, he covered her mouth with his own and blew a puff of air. His hands joined mid air and met at her chest, he pressed down with two thrust and a sudden cough from Kate flung his hands back.
He slipped his hand behind her neck again, cradling it as she attempted to sit up.
"Easy, Kate, wait a second," he coaxed gently.
Her large blue eyes fluttered for a moment. She leaned her head back against his hand as a moan passed her lips. "What happened?" she asked, her hand pressed to the side of her temples.
Gordo's eyes roamed her face. The smudges of dirt, the small cut near the hairline that he'd missed when removing her from the car. "You were in an accident."
Something that sounded like a hybrid between a moan and a grunt escaped Kate's lips. She pressed her hand to her head and slowly lifted her thin body into an upright position. Her eyes tried to focus upon Gordo as she blinked profusely and slowly turned her head towards the fiery mess that was her car. "Is that...?"
"Your car," he nodded slowly. "I think the gas line ruptured and the heat caused something to spark."
"And you pulled me out?" she clarified, turned her head away from the burning vehicle as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
He nodded, but didn't say more. He was watching her as she tried to take in all the new information. Her expression was that of a bewildered child and he shared her feeling. Whatever the hell had happened had never ever been through Hillridge before. His mind wrestled with the idea of a hurricane, even though they were pretty far inland. But the idea just didn't work. He sighed, not willing to accept high winds would flip two cars.
Suddenly, his heart flipped inside his chest. If they were here, and this had happened to their cars, what had actually happened in Hillridge? Lizzie and Miranda were at her house, were they okay? What about his parents?
His fist instinctively tightened over the useless cell phone in his pocket. "We have to get back to Hillridge. We'll have to walk. Do you think you can make it?"
Kate titled her head to the side as she staggered to her feet. "Where's your car?"
"Back there, on the roof."
Kate looked oddly disappointed by this news. Gordo stared at her and started to walk in the same direction he'd been when he'd happened upon her car. He flicked on the flashlight and craned it around him, hoping that he wouldn't see another car in a similar situation as he'd found his or Kate's.
"Where are you going?" her voice suddenly carried.
Gordo slowly turned and stared at him. "Whatever happened flipped our cars and did a lot of damage to trees and everything around us. Look at all the branches on the road. There's no reception on the cell phones, so we have to walk back."
Kate's expression was still blank. "Won't someone come out here to check?"
Gordo found his patients quickly ebbing and anger rising. "Kate, what ever happened to us happened at Hillridge." He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "All the emergency assistance will be in Hillridge helping everyone there." He felt the oddest sensation rush though him as everything around him seemed to precariously tilt. He forced his eyes shut and pressed his hands to his head. The dull throbbing he'd been trying to ignore, suddenly increased as he staggered forward. Someone, off in the distance, he heard Kate's frantic voice fill his head. Then silence shrouded him.