Memoirs of a Hard Luck Woman

What is wrong with me? It feels like someone is holding me down in this muddy water. I can't breathe and all I can smell is gasoline and sour vegetation of the swamp. Oh my God, Christopher, where is he? "Chris! Chris! Answer me damn it!" Nothing. All I can hear are the sounds of the night and suddenly I feel broken. What is going on? Why can't I remember what happened beyond arguing with Chris as we left Beau and Allison's wedding reception? I remember leaving. I remember we started to fight, but I don't remember what it was about. I don't know where exactly I am and I can't see much on this dark night. All I know is I am alone and for once in my life I wish I wasn't. I am tired and realize the saltiness I taste on my lips isn't tears, it is blood. *Will POV I don't like the way Chris and Rue left the party. Something was just a bit off about Chris tonight, more than usual. I have never hid the fact from ANYONE that I don't much care for him. Most people just chalk it up to his relationship with my baby sister, but there is a look in his eye that tells me he is a predator. According to some, the same can be said about me. Takes one to know one.  I look at my watch and decide that enough time has passed. I am going to call Rue with some lame excuse she will see through, I have to, she is my only sister and I don't like that SOB. Straight to voicemail. Once, twice, three times. I had enough, so I jump in the truck and follow the narrow road away from the reception heading towards Mama and Daddy's house. Rue better be there and he better be gone. I am driving too fast for this road and I know it, but I want to get home. My gut tells me something is wrong and I want to tear him apart if he is hurting her. I know she is holding a secret from us about him and I think I know what it is.  A double curve is coming and I start to brake hard when I see it. The bridge railing is twisted and the pilings are shattered. Chris' charger is at the bottom, half in the water with the lights still on. What the hell? I slam on my brakes and park on the bridge barely letting the truck stop before I bail out and run down the embankment. I jerk the passenger door open but she isn't there. Opening the door illuminates the inside and I see Chris is lifeless. I don't bother to check for a pulse, he isn't my concern. Rue is and I need to find her. I call for her and hear nothing. She couldn't be far and I can feel her, so I call out again. *Rue POV I hear a wild cry through my foggy thoughts. Great, I am bleeding and stuck in the mud. Just my luck, I will now be eaten by a wild animal. I can't do anything but laugh at my luck. It hurts too much to cry. At least it didn't sound like a gator, more like a mountain lion. How many mountain lions are in Terrebonne Parish? I continue to giggle even though it hurts. I will just rest my eyes some more and maybe whatever it is will pass me by until I can gain strength. I shout out as loud as I can to hopefully scare it away, but I don't sound much louder than a mouse. Then I hear my name and it doesn't sound like God calling me.  "William?! WILLIAM!" *Will POV I keep hearing noises in the wind, but there is no wind. Then I hear my name and it sounds like it is coming from the bottom of a well. I had my spotlight from the truck and shine where I think the sound came from. Blue fabric and red hair catch my eye and I run to my sister. As I get close I realize she is physically shattered. How did she get this far from the car?  "Rue? Baby its your brother. Talk to me. Keep your eyes open, cher, I got you. Can you hear me?" Her eyes flutter and she looks at me for a second and smiles. Then she goes limp and I see just how pale she is. I am afraid to move her. She is the toughest and most fragile creature I have ever known. Now she is slipping into shock and I need to think fast. I run back to grab my blanket and phone from the truck. I am dialing Daddy as I slide down back to where she is at the water's edge. His voice is angry when he answers, asking where I am. All I can manage to say is "Rue is hurt, we are at the wood bridge, call the ambulance" and I hang up without hearing his reply. I know his reply as well as I know my name, he is on his way and bringing everyone with him. Our baby girl needs us. I wrap her in the blanket the best I can to not jolt her and hold her hands. I am too old and have seen too much to cry, but here I sit crying like a lost child. We can't lose her. An eternity passes, but I hear engines and see lights. Thank God, now let's get out of here.  "Daddy, we are down here! Chris is in the car, gone, but Rue is alive. We need to get her to the top but we can't jostle her. She is broken." *Papa Joe POV I see Will's truck on the bridge and see a light at the bottom. I know now why he didn't let me ask questions when he called. I am scanning the water's edge with a light when I hear him call to me. I holler over my shoulder to C.J. and Joe to find something we can use for a back board and meet me at the bottom. I don't stop to look in the car. I already know what I'd see and run to my daughter instead.  William looks up at me as he holds Rue in the blood soaked and muddy blanket. It is the first emotion I have seen in those eyes in many years and I am frightened by what I see. Terror.