Tribea: The Journey of Us

Chapter 7

Some people said that they saw their whole life flash before their eyes, but all Zion heard was the blaring sounds of Little Mix coming from the radio. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, every sound deafening everything except that damn Little Mix song.

The impact was like a thunderclap – a deafening roar that shook Zion to his core. Metal crunched against metal, glass shattered into a thousand sparkling fragments, and the world spun in a dizzying whirl of color and chaos.

As Zion's car spiraled out of control, he felt like he was in a dream, disconnected from the reality of the moment. He could hear people shouting and screaming, but it was like their voices were coming from miles away. His eyes darted around the car as it tumbled and flipped, and he realized that his life really could be over in the next few seconds.

But then, just as suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. The car was upside down, its wheels still spinning uselessly in the air. Zion's heart was pounding in his chest as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

As the car finally came to a stop, Zion's vision cleared, and he gasped for air, the taste of copper filling his mouth. He looked around, dazed, and saw the bloodied remains of the windshield, the twisted metal of the car's frame, and the shattered glass covering the pavement.

Neece" he said quietly, his voice horse. He tried to move, but pain shot through his body, and he realized that he was trapped in the car. Panic started to set in, and he frantically looked around for a way out. He glances in his rear-view mirror, noticing her body motionless in the back seat chair.

"NEECE!" Zion's voice tore through the cacophony, raw with panic and fear.

But there was no response – only the echo of their screams and the twisted symphony of destruction playing around them.

In the eerie silence that followed the crash, Zion's mind raced with terror. His body ached, and he felt a warm trickle of blood dripping down his forehead. But as disoriented as he was, his only thought was for Neece.

"Help! Someone, please help!" he shouted, struggling to free himself from the mangled wreckage.

Within moments, the distant wail of sirens pierced the air, growing steadily louder. The flashing lights of emergency vehicles painted the scene in stark reds and blues, casting an otherworldly glow over the twisted remains of the car.

"Sir, can you hear me?" A paramedic appeared at the driver's side window, peering into the darkness with concern etched on his face.

"Y-Yes," Zion stammered, "but my sister—please, help her!"

"Stay calm. We're going to get you both out of here." The paramedic nodded reassuringly before turning his attention to Neece's limp form in the back seat.

As the first responders worked to extricate them, Zion's vision blurred, and his head throbbed painfully. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Neece, her once-vibrant hazel eyes now closed, her face unnaturally still. Dread coiled in his gut like a snake.

Zion watched as the paramedics worked frantically to extract Neece from the car. He tried to remain calm, but his heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't bear the thought of losing his little sister, not after everything they had been through.

As the paramedics lifted Neece out of the car , Zion's heart skipped a beat. She was so still, so lifeless. He felt a lump form in his throat as he watched the paramedics work to revive her.

"Come on, sweetheart, stay with us," one of the paramedics murmured softly, as they placed her onto a stretcher.

"Is she okay? Please, tell me she's okay," he begged, his voice cracking.

"Sir, we need you to stay still. You may have a concussion," the paramedic said, steadying him. "We're doing everything we can for your sister."

Once freed from the wreckage, the siblings were rushed to the hospital, sirens wailing urgently. Inside the ambulance, Zion could only watch helplessly as Neece lay unconscious, her chest barely rising and falling beneath the oxygen mask.

Upon arrival, the medical staff sprang into action, quickly assessing their injuries. Zion was ushered into a curtained-off area where a nurse cleaned the gash on his forehead and checked his vitals.

"Your blood pressure's a bit high, but that's to be expected," she said gently. "You've got a concussion, so we'll need to monitor you for a while."

"What about Neece?" he asked urgently, desperate for information.

"Your sister is in critical condition," the nurse replied softly, her eyes full of empathy. "The doctors are doing everything they can for her."

Zion's heart clenched in his chest, and tears pricked his eyes. As he lay there, surrounded by the steady beeping of machines and the murmur of medical staff, his thoughts were consumed by guilt and fear. If only he'd reacted faster; if only he'd protected her better. And now, with their world shattered and uncertain, he could only pray that she would somehow pull through.

The lead doctor, Dr. Marshall, a tall man with a graying beard and kind eyes, directed a team of nurses to perform various tests and administer medications.

"Check her vitals again," Dr. Marshall ordered, his voice steady but urgent. A young nurse named Maria complied, her dark hair pulled back into a tight bun as she focused on the task at hand.

"Blood pressure's still dropping," she reported, glancing up at the monitors that displayed Neece's wavering heartbeat, oxygen levels, and other vital signs.

"Let's get those IV fluids going," Dr. Marshall said, nodding toward the bags of saline solution hanging above Neece's bed. As the minutes ticked by, the medical team continued their efforts to stabilize Neece.

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"Zion, I'm Dr. Marshall. I'm sorry to say that your sister's injuries are quite severe. She's sustained multiple fractures, and there's swelling in her brain."

"Is she going to be okay?" Zion asked, his voice trembling as he clutched Neece's hand between his own, feeling the chill of her skin against his warm palms as he sat later in Neece's recovery room.

Dr. Marshall hesitated for a moment before responding, his eyes never leaving the machines that measured his sister's fragile life. "We're doing everything we can, but it's too soon to tell," Dr. Marshall said gently. "I'm afraid she's in a coma right now, and we'll need to monitor her closely."

Zion's eyes widened as the doctor's words washed over him. His knees buckled, and he slumped into the chair beside Neece's bed, suddenly unable to support his own weight. He stared at her motionless form, her once vibrant hazel eyes closed and her chest rising and falling with the help of the ventilator.

No words formed on his lips; only a choked sob escaped as tears streamed down his face. His hands shook in his lap, clenched into tight fists that mirrored the turmoil within him. The world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only the steady hum of the machines that kept his sister alive.

Zion watched their every move, his heart pounding in his chest. Each beep from the machines seemed to pierce through him, a constant reminder of the precarious thread that held his sister's life together.

"Zion?" Dr. Marshall said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We're not giving up on her. Neither should you."

Zion managed a small nod, swallowing the