Blood and champagne

The smell of gas was thick. It was heavy, like a blanket over Leo’s face. He tried to move, but his shoulder screamed. It felt like a hot knife was stuck in the bone. Outside the broken window, the mountain was dark. The only light came from the small fire starting under the car’s hood. "Mom?" he whispered. His throat felt like he had swallowed sand. In the seat next to him, his mother didn't move. Her head was tilted back. A piece of the metal dash had pushed deep into her leg. She was bleeding fast. The car—the "Titan SV"—was suppose to be the safest car in the world. But now, it was a cage. The "Security Mode" had turned on. The doors were bolted shut from the inside. The glass was too thick to break with his hands. Only one thing could open this car now: the app on Elena’s phone. Leo found his phone on the floor. The screen was cracked, but it still worked. He called his wife. No—his ex-wife. The phone picked up. Loud music blasted into Leo’s ear. He heard people laughing and the sound of expensive wine glasses clinking. "Leo, I told you to stop calling," Elena said. Her voice was cold. It sounded like she was bored. "I am at Julian’s party. Do not ruin this for me." "Elena... please," Leo gasped. He coughed, and it tasted like copper. "The car crashed. On the North Road. The locks are jammed. Mom is trapped and the car is gonna catch fire. I need you to hit the 'Emergency Open' button on your app. Please, Elena. Now." A man laughed near the phone. It was Julian. Leo knew that laugh. It was the sound of a man who had everything. "Is he crying again, El? Tell him to call a tow truck and stop acting like a baby." "It’s not a joke!" Leo yelled. He held the phone near the engine. Hiss. Drip. Hiss. "Can you hear that? The fuel is leaking! Just look at the app, Elena! It shows the crash! It shows the airbags!" He heard her tap the screen. She was looking at it. "I see the app, Leo," Elena said. Her voice was even colder now. "It says the windows are cracked. It says you are pulling on the handles. You aren't in a crash. You are trying to break into the car to steal the papers I left in the glove box. You are so desperate for money you would lie about an accident?" "No! Elena, look at the GPS! Look where I am!" "I am done with your games, Leo," she snapped. "Julian was right about you. I am hitting the 'Hard Lock.' Now the doors won't open even if you have a key. Stay there until you grow up." Click. The car made a heavy thud sound. The metal bolts moved deeper into the doors. The lights on the dash went black. She had locked him in. She had turned the car into a coffin. "Elena! NO!" A spark hit the gas. A small flame licked the glass. Leo didn't have time to cry. He grabbed the heavy fire extinguisher from under his seat. He screamed and swung it. Bang! The glass didn't break. He swung again. Bang! His broken shoulder felt like it was exploding. "I won't... let her... die!" he roared. On the tenth hit, the glass finally broke. Leo crawled through the jagged hole. The glass cut his chest, but he didn't feel it. He reached back in and pulled his mother out. He dragged her across the dirt, his muscles shaking. He got twenty feet away when the car went BOOM. The heat hit his back like a physical punch, throwing him into the mud. The hospital was too quiet. Leo sat in a plastic chair. He was covered in black soot and red blood. People walked past him and held their noses. He looked like a monster. The doctor came out. He looked tired. "She is alive. But her lungs are burned from the smoke. She needs a special surgery. The machine we need is very expensive." "How much?" Leo asked. His hands were shaking so hard he had to sit on them. "One hundred thousand dollars," the doctor said. "We can keep her on the breathing machine for 24 hours. But after that... if there is no money, we have to turn it off. I am sorry. It is the rule." Leo’s heart felt like it stopped. One hundred thousand. He had nothing. He had given every cent he ever made to help Elena start her company. He took out his phone. He sent one last text. Mom is dying. She needs surgery. $100,000. I will sign anything you want. I will go away forever. Just save her life. The reply came fast. It was a video link. Leo clicked it. It was a live video from the party. Elena was standing on a stage. She was wearing a dress that cost more than a house. Julian was standing next to her, pouring a giant bottle of gold champagne over a tower of glasses. "Tonight is about being the best!" Julian shouted into a microphone. "We just spent five hundred thousand dollars on this champagne tower! Drink up, everyone!" The camera moved to Elena’s face. She looked into the lens. She knew Leo was watching. "You see that, Leo?" she whispered into the mic. The whole room laughed. "We spend more on bubbles than you are worth. If you want money for your 'surgery,' come to the hotel. Maybe if you clean the floors after we leave, I will give you a tip." The screen went dark. Leo looked at his hands. The bandages were turning red with fresh blood. The sadness in his chest was gone. It was replaced by something cold. Something sharp. He looked at the clock on the wall. 23 Hours, 40 Minutes left. "Okay, Elena," Leo whispered. "I’m coming."