Prologue
It was the flashing red lights that woke her up, though she always wondered afterwards why she didn't hear the crash. Probably because the air conditioner was running and that thing was really loud. She squinted out the window to the front yard, where the EMTs were swarming around a black Escalade, which was wrapped around the huge trunk of the tree on the edge of her property.
Zoe pulled on her terry cloth robe and stepped into her slippers. She grabbed her crutches and started down the stairs. When Kayla looked out from her room and asked what was wrong, Zoe was too busy watching where her crutch was going to answer.
Outside, the grass was wet with dew. It was almost morning, and birds would normally have just started twittering had it not been for the disturbance. A dog was barking across the street.
Zoe wasn't quite sure what she thought she would be able to do to help. She was in no way medically trained, and she couldn't stand the sight of blood. She was feeble, not really old, just feeble. But it was her yard, and therefore she felt, in some way, responsible.
The crackle of the EMT's transistor filled the air as they spoke in strange codes, talking about the accident. There was a crash as they ripped the driver's side door off the car, trying to extricate the person trapped inside. "Male, late twenties or early thirties, about 180 pounds, approximately six foot," one of them was speaking into the radio, "No ID."
Kayla joined Zoe on the lawn, wearing boxers she'd stolen from her boyfriend and a tank top. Kayla was barefoot. "Damn," she muttered.
"Drunk driver," Zoe said sadly. Her opinion held weight. She'd seen so many of these things in the videos and photos that the DMV sent over for her class material. Part of her was tempted to send Kayla in for her camera so she could get footage of the accident for her class. There were some kids that just didn't understand the damage a car could do.
"You two gotta push back," called a cop, coming over to them, waving his hands to shoo them backwards from the accident.
"Is there anything we can do to help, officer?" Zoe asked.
"Just stand back," the cop answered.
They watched in silence as the crews worked to pull apart the vehicle and free the man trapped inside of it. Zoe kept shaking her head, "If he's not dead, he'd damn lucky," she whispered, seeing the blood pooling beneath the Escalade.
After over fifteen minutes of diligent work, they got the guy out and had him on a gurney, headed for the ambulance. Kayla gasped at the sight of the man, all covered in blood. Within moments, the flashing red lights sped away down the street, carrying him to the hospital.
Zoe waited to hear the siren - the sign that he had made it. If they used the siren it was because they needed to get to the hospital quickly to save his life. If they didn't use the siren, he was already gone. She held her breath and waited.
Finally, in the distance, the siren wailed.
Story Notes:
As always -- warnings will be updated as they come, though some I've added in anticipation of stuff I've already got planned for the story. So check back for the warnings to change!
Note: As of Chapter Forty-Seven, "death" has been added for a warning.
Note: As of Chapter Fifty-Six, there is a warning of "Sexual Assault/Rape" listed.
Note: As of Chapter Forty-Seven, "death" has been added for a warning.
Note: As of Chapter Fifty-Six, there is a warning of "Sexual Assault/Rape" listed.
