He holds it to my face, “I know your arm is hurting but you need to hold this up to your nose.” I do as he says. “I think your nose is broken.” That explains the burning feeling in my eyes.
The quietness that I was yearning to be ceased now erupts to levels that are equally as deafening. Landon opens Alexa’s door and she’s screaming and fighting him trying to get around to the driver’s side of the car to Steven. I can’t see inside the car from this angle but I know enough that Steven isn’t moving.
All I hear is Alexa screaming and glass crunching as Madison stumbles over to me and sits down.
There is blood pouring from a gash in her head, she turns quickly and vomits. I rub her back; it’s the only comfort I can offer because at any minute I feel like I’m going to puke as well.
Landon stumbles, his arm is bleeding from scratches and gashes all over his body. He leans over, his hands on his knees as he vomits, at the same time dropping his cell phone.
Having no idea where my cell phone is, I stagger over the wet pavement and pick up his phone dialing 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
I try to talk but no words come out at first. I clear my throat and try again. “There was an accident. Uh…We’re on Sunset Highway…” I look around and spot the mile marker, “mile marker ten.”
“Can you tell me if anyone is injured?”
I look around taking in the scene, a lump forming in my throat. This can’t be happening. It can’t be. This is a dream. I mean a nightmare. It has to be.
“Ma’am, are you there?”
Is anyone hurt? How I wish that no one was but it’s not the reality.
“Ma’am?”
“Yes---”
Alexa crying hysterically screaming at Cash and Landon, “Save him!” stops me from talking anymore.
“Can you tell me what happened?” The operator’s voice is calm and even just like they are trained to be. “Are you there? Ma’am, are you there?”
I hold Landon’s shirt up to my face again briefly when I taste the metallic blood running into my mouth. “We…uh…we were driving west bound down the highway and hit an oncoming car.”
“Is anyone injured?”
“Yes… there’s a guy… on the hood. I think he’s dead. And Steven…”
“Steven what? Is he injured?”
“Yes.” I cry out, Madison squeezes her eyes shut when she sees Cash take his hoodie and shirt off and pushes it inside the car in between the door and Steven. “Steven… he’s bleeding out from his side.”
“Okay, compress the wound. I’ve dispatched aid vehicles. They’re five minutes out. Take a dry cloth and press it against the wound.” I yell out the orders to Cash, he’s already doing that. “If he bleeds through that, put another one on top of that. Don’t remove the first one. Just keep applying more and don’t move him.”
I tell Cash everything they’re saying and look to Landon, his hands are on the pavement as he kneels on the ground. He vomits again, maybe from the adrenaline rushing through him.
Cars stop and ask us if we’re all okay. No one answers. We’ll never be okay.
I start crying harder and I think the dispatcher knows this and tries to calm me. “Ma’am, stay calm. We’re sending help, please stay on the line with me.”
“Okay… ” My voice trembles. In the distance, I hear the faint sirens and breathe a little easier.
Cash puts one arm around Alexa and whispers in her ear. She’s fighting him and I see his mouth moving, speaking in soothing tones, trying to talk to her but she’s not having it. He’s so calm and collected you’d think he’d been in an accident before like this. I fear the worst in that moment like everything is suspended in life and we’re waiting for the inevitable impact.
Steven dying.
Landon is standing there hunched over just staring at the car, his eyes wide. He doesn’t know what to do. I want to go to him but I don’t.
What do I say? What do I do?
Madison lays her head on my shoulder and I feel the warmth of her blood soaking through my hoodie.
Cash shakes his head walking away from Alexa. He comes over and wraps his arms around Madison and me. I rest my head against his shoulder, suddenly feeling too heavy to hold up. Alexa screams so loud I flinch and I feel Madison jump too.
An older couple comes over to us a few minutes later after Cash walks away. The woman is asking Madison and me questions but neither of us are answering. What’s the point? It’s not going to change the events of tonight. There is some guy sitting next to Landon in the middle of the street and there are a bunch of people around Alexa and Steven.