Chapter 4

Amelia sat in a chair at the DMV, waiting anxiously for what may happen. She was next to drive after the following student, and she prayed she would do well.

"Hey, Amelia," a familiar voice arose.

"Hey, Desi." Amelia smiled quietly.

"So, are you nervous?" Desi questioned.

"Well, somewhat-"They heard the screeching of the rubber tires as the driver slammed her brakes in the DMV parking lot. Desi couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, just make sure you start braking early. Elsewise, you won't have any traction left on your tires."

Amelia stood, and walked for the door. The previous student had just walked from the car, her face a bright shade of scarlet, moving from the car as fast as her legs could take her. The instructor looked as though he had suffered a major heart attack.

Amelia entered the car, the instructor slow to respond. He was just a little tense from the previous student's ability to brake. Amelia slammed the door after her, and fastened her seat belt. The instructor twitched when the door slammed.

"Please be easy on the doors.. and on my heart."

Amelia smiled. "Don't worry, I'll stay within the speed limit." She put the gear into overdrive and began moving forward from the building. She ascended up the road instead of down into the flooded valleys.

She soon came to a road that would merge into traffic. She seemed a little hesitant to move onto the interstate, even though the traffic was hardly heavy. She looked over her shoulder, in the mirrors, and over her shoulder again. She bit her lip and braked to a complete stop when she almost merged into a car. A car behind her slammed on his brakes as well.

The instructor wiped his brow. "Stay calm, don't be tense."

"You're not really helping me when you're tense yourself," she said embarrassed.

She lightly depressed the accelerator and moved onto the interstate, glancing in her mirror at the driver behind her who was giving a rude gesture.

She drove up the road for a while, and braked suddenly when a speeding car merged suddenly in front of her. She braked and mumbled that he should've watched for her and yielded.

"Don't let him bother you," the instructor started, "he may not have seen you because you may have been in a blind spot."

She continued down the road when she saw a tractor-trailer ahead suddenly slow down. She braked quickly, and swung to the left. She noticed the symbol of a large red and white umbrella imprinted on the back of the truck. She was looking at the truck and didn't even notice the car to her left moving to her side, and another tailgating her.

She swung to the left, unable to see the car beside or behind her because both were in her blind spots. The car to her left pushed her back to the right, and the car immediatly behind her crippled the car, and sent it into a tailspin.

The instructor's head was knocked against his window, and a small trickle of blood ran down it. The car was now turned sideways in the middle of the interstate, and people desperatly tried to turn into either lanes to prevent hitting them. The instructor's foot was depressing the brake on his side of the vehicle. The engine died. Amelia tried to restart it.

"Great," she mumbled on the verge of tears, "I've totaled the car and knocked the instructor out. I'll never get my license."

Her head was leaned on the steering wheel, and she was still attempting to start it. She felt blood running down her forehead from where she had knocked it on the steering wheel from the two collisions. She turned the key and heard the motor rev up.

"Yes, thank you!" She shouted excitedly.

She pressed the accelerator, but her attempt was in vain. She didn't know the instructor's foot was pressing down the brake.

"Dammit, come on! Move!"

Up the road, she heard a thunderous honking sound. A tractor-trailer was speeding down the road, and hadn't reached her yet. It was moving much too quickly to merge with the other traffic. She noticed this truck, too, had a large white and red umbrella pictured on the front of it. Did the driver see her?

She pressed on the accelerator with all her might, but it wouldn't budge. He was one hundred yards from her and approaching fast. She looked to the instructor, then to the truck. Panicing, she unrestrained herself from the car, and ran into oncoming traffic. She heard a ear-piercing shriek of brakes behind her, and she ran for the interstate median. Not looking, she heard the shrieking of brakes at her left, and felt a pain at her side. She rolled from the asphalt onto the safety of the median grass.

The last thing she recalled before complete blackness was the sound of crackling flames following a metallic scraping that shook the ground beneath her.

(Finally, some action)