Chapter 2 – The Crash
1278 Words
The rain came harder than either of them expected.
It drummed against the windshield in relentless waves, turning the city lights into blurred streaks of gold and white. The rhythmic swish of the windshield wipers struggled to keep up, clearing the glass only long enough for another sheet of rain to swallow the road.
Adrian tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"Well," he chuckled, glancing at Evelyn, "there goes our romantic walk."
She smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You promised me forever. You never promised good weather."
He laughed.
"Fair point."
The heater hummed softly inside the car, warming the chilled air that had rushed in when they left the restaurant. The anniversary letter she had given him rested safely in the inside pocket of his jacket, while hers remained tucked carefully inside her handbag on her lap.
She looked out the passenger window, watching raindrops race each other down the glass.
"You know..." she said quietly.
"Hm?"
"I had a really good night."
Adrian glanced at her.
"So did I."
"I mean it."
"I know."
She looked back at him and smiled.
"For a while I forgot everything else."
He frowned slightly.
"Everything else?"
She hesitated just long enough to make him notice.
"Oh... work. Life. Bills. Normal adult things."
He relaxed.
"Same here."
Silence settled comfortably between them.
It wasn't the awkward silence of people with nothing to say.
It was the peaceful silence of two people who had already said everything that mattered.
The radio played softly in the background.
A love song neither of them knew.
Evelyn reached over and intertwined her fingers with his.
His thumb gently rubbed across the back of her hand.
"I've been thinking," Adrian said.
"Should I be worried?"
"A little."
She laughed.
"What is it?"
"I think we should finally book that Italy trip."
Her eyes widened.
"You're serious?"
"I've been putting it off for too long."
She stared at him.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?"
"I'm evolving."
"No..."
She squeezed his hand dramatically.
"My husband would have spent three more months comparing hotel prices."
"I still might."
"There he is."
They both laughed.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
The rain intensified.
Visibility dropped even further.
Adrian slowed the car.
"I can barely see."
"We're almost home."
"I know."
A flash of lightning illuminated the highway for a split second.
Then darkness returned.
Only the headlights carved a narrow tunnel through the storm.
Several cars had already pulled over beneath an overpass.
Adrian considered doing the same.
"You want to stop until the rain eases?" Evelyn asked.
He looked ahead.
"If it gets any worse."
She nodded.
Her phone buzzed inside her purse.
She frowned.
"Who's texting you at this hour?" Adrian asked.
"No idea."
She unzipped her handbag.
The screen lit up briefly.
Her expression changed.
Just for a second.
A heartbeat.
Gone before Adrian could read it.
"Everything okay?"
She quickly locked the phone.
"Wrong number."
"You sure?"
"Mhm."
She slid it back into her bag.
He didn't think much of it.
Why would he?
Trust wasn't something they questioned.
It was simply there.
Solid.
Certain.
Like the wedding ring on his finger.
Like the woman sitting beside him.
The road curved gently ahead.
Water pooled across the asphalt.
The tires hissed as they drove through it.
Adrian kept both hands firmly on the wheel.
"You know what my favorite part of tonight was?" he asked.
"The cake?"
"No."
"My letter?"
"Close."
She smiled.
"What then?"
"When you said forever starts again today."
She looked at him.
"I meant every word."
He smiled.
"So did I."
For a brief instant, she looked away.
Her gaze drifted toward the side mirror.
Then to the rearview mirror.
Almost as if she were checking something behind them.
Adrian noticed.
"Nervous?"
"No."
"You keep looking back."
"I'm just watching the traffic."
He glanced in the mirror himself.
Only rain.
Headlights.
Nothing unusual.
A black SUV followed several car lengths behind.
It wasn't speeding.
It wasn't weaving.
Just another vehicle trying to survive the storm.
He looked back at the road.
"You're imagining things," Evelyn whispered almost to herself.
"What?"
"Nothing."
The SUV remained behind them.
Its headlights cut through the rain like two pale eyes.
Then, unexpectedly, it changed lanes.
It accelerated.
Within seconds, it disappeared into the curtain of rain ahead.
"There goes the impatient driver," Adrian muttered.
"Mm."
Evelyn's answer was absent.
She was staring ahead now.
Too still.
Too quiet.
"Hey."
She looked at him.
"You okay?"
She forced a smile.
"Yeah."
"You seem distracted."
"I'm just tired."
"I can drive slower."
"I know."
Another flash of lightning.
Another clap of thunder.
The rain battered the windshield so hard it sounded like handfuls of gravel.
Then—
Everything happened at once.
A pair of blinding headlights appeared ahead.
Too bright.
Too close.
Adrian instinctively squinted.
"What the—"
The vehicle wasn't in its lane.
It was coming toward them.
His heartbeat exploded.
"Adrian!"
Evelyn screamed.
He jerked the steering wheel to the left.
The tires lost traction instantly.
The car hydroplaned.
For one horrifying second, they weren't driving anymore.
They were sliding.
Weightless.
Out of control.
The world spun.
Metal screamed against wet asphalt.
The seat belt dug violently into Adrian's chest.
He heard Evelyn shout his name.
Then another deafening blast of horns.
The car slammed sideways into the guardrail.
Glass shattered in every direction.
The impact threw Adrian against the steering wheel.
Pain erupted through his ribs.
The car bounced back onto the road, spinning helplessly.
Another collision.
A crushing blow from behind.
The rear window exploded.
The windshield fractured into a spiderweb of cracks.
Airbags burst open with explosive force.
White.
Smoke.
Dust.
Silence.
For a moment Adrian couldn't breathe.
Everything rang.
His ears filled with a high-pitched whine.
He tasted blood.
His vision blurred.
"E... Evelyn..."
No answer.
He tried to turn toward her.
His body refused.
Pain shot through his side like fire.
"Evelyn..."
His voice came out as a whisper.
Rain poured through the shattered windows.
Cold water soaked his clothes.
The engine hissed.
Steam drifted from beneath the twisted hood.
Somewhere outside, people were shouting.
"Call an ambulance!"
"There's someone trapped!"
"I can't open the door!"
Adrian blinked slowly.
The passenger side of the car was hidden behind the deployed airbag.
He couldn't see her.
"Evelyn..."
His fingers searched blindly across the center console.
Nothing.
He reached farther.
His hand slipped.
Blood.
Rain.
Broken glass.
He couldn't tell which was which.
His vision darkened around the edges.
Flashing red and blue lights appeared in the distance.
Growing closer.
Sirens.
Voices.
Footsteps splashing through puddles.
"Sir! Stay with us!"
Someone pounded on the driver's window.
"We've got one conscious!"
One?
Adrian tried to speak.
"My wife..."
The words barely escaped.
"My... wife..."
Hands pulled at the twisted door.
Metal groaned.
Hydraulic tools screamed.
The driver's door finally tore free.
Cold rain hit his face.
Paramedics leaned over him.
"Sir, don't move."
"My... wife..."
"We need to stabilize you."
"She... she's here..."
His eyes drifted weakly toward the passenger seat.
The airbag blocked everything.
"I need... Evelyn..."
The paramedic placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Save your strength."
"No..."
He struggled against the seat belt.
"Please..."
The world tilted.
Faces became shadows.
Voices stretched into echoes.
The flashing ambulance lights blurred into streaks of red and blue.
His eyelids grew impossibly heavy.
The last thing Adrian heard before darkness swallowed him was someone shouting orders through the storm.
And the last thought that crossed his mind was simple.
I have to find my wife.
Then...
Everything disappeared.
- Writer
