Aleks saw the cliff hurtling up upon them and fear instantly struck his heart when he realized that James was not wearing his seat belt. No, NO, NO!. James couldn't leave him too!
He screamed out James' name but it was lost in the roar of the engine, the bouncing of the wheels, and the crashing of the car through the underbrush. The large drop-off hurtled into view and Aleks' eyes tunneled on the cliff. They were all going to die.
But then James swerved the car to the right so hard that it threatened to overturn with the momentum.
The car spun in the grass, closer and closer to the edge, and they spun once more so that the back end of the car faced the cliff.
But the car moved just a little more so that the right side, Nathen's side, faced the cliff. Aleks felt the urge to scream but he froze, paralyzed by the sight of the cliff on the right side of the car. He grabbed on to either side of the seat, bracing.
The car slid, slowing, but it wasn't enough. They were going to slam off the edge of the cliff!
But before they went off the edge, the car collided with a small tree growing off the edge of the drop-off. The impact vibrated through the car with a hard crash and twisting of metal.
Aleks' eyes slammed shut as the car teetered forward for a second... and then it leaned back to solid ground. Safe.
He slowly opened his eyes. The horn blared on the car, long and never-ending.
First, Aleks checked himself over. He was virtually uninjured other than his bullet wound and his broken leg. Then he scanned the other side of the car. His heart skipped a beat. The whole right side was crushed with metal twisting inward.
A beam of the car pointed sharply in at Aleks and he realized that he had been less than a foot away from being impaled. The window was shattered and he could see the top of the trees below.
Then he looked to the front of the car.
He gasped, looking where Nathen had sat. His body was wrapped around the debris of the right side of the car and blood leaked around him onto the seat. He was unmoving.
"James," Aleks said in realization. He struggled forward, ignoring the pain emanating from his wound, and propped himself up to glance over the seat.
The horn was still blaring and now Aleks knew why. The airbags had not deployed and James' head was fixed heavily on the middle of the steering wheel. Blood trickled from his dark hair.
"J-james," Aleks began, fighting the tears springing at his eyes. "James?"
James didn't answer. He was lying there limply with his hands dangling down by his knees. Over the seat, Aleks couldn't tell how injured he was.
His heart thudded and everything slowed. The horn rang heavily in his ears and he heard someone screaming. When he busted into tears, he realized that it was him.
An officer appeared at his window, yelling something into the car, but Aleks couldn't hear him; not over the screaming, not over the horn, not over the sirens that were growing so much louder.
The officer opened the door and Aleks wasted no time in scrambling out, hopping unevenly on his uninjured leg and clutching at his shoulder.
The sound around him was still ringing and he could no longer pick out the individual noises. He hopped past the officer, using a bloody hand to steady himself against the car.
Aleks made his way to James' window and he left a bloody trail along the metal of the car. He looked down at his hands to realize that he had cuts across his hands.
He stopped at James' window and the world dipped. He felt sick. James was lying over the horn, his face soaked in blood and glass was shattered all over his hair and shoulders.
Aleks felt distant and he looked away, the world swimming. Looking to the officer, he saw him waving over the medics, other officers.
Everything turned sideways and Aleks barely felt himself drop, face-planting into the weeds. Then everything went dark.
--
There were sirens, loud and piercing, when Aleks came to. He gasped, startled, and fought against the arms holding him down. "Hold still," someone said.
"James? James?!" Aleks called out. His eyes were wild, searching for his brother. Where the hell was he? Where was James? The heart monitor increased with his shuddering heart as the terror filled him; the terror of never seeing James again.
The ambulance bumped and rattled as they zoomed through the streets. Hands continued to hold him and Aleks pried at the fingers, trying to get them off of him. But then he saw the blood on his hands and he thrashed again, unable to handle it anymore.
"We need to calm him down. He's agitating his wounds."
Something stuck him in the neck and his body went limp. The dark took him once again and Aleks had never been more afraid.
--
Jordan wore a black suit with a bright, green tie. He tried not to trip on his dress shoes as he pulled his front door shut and glanced across the yard with a content smile.
It was exciting to go the dance with everyone. For the first time in a long time, Jordan found himself with a tight-knit group of friends. He was glad.
His shoes stuck into the earth as he made quick steps across the grass in the direction of James' house.
The time had come for the dance and he still hadn't replied to any of his texts, nor had he shown up at the door. So he was going to collect him himself.
Jordan's heart sunk as he approached the darkened house. No lights were on. He stomped up the front steps and went to the door and rang the doorbell.
The sound echoed through the dark house and Jordan found himself growing a little miffed. Had he not mentioned to meet at his house?
Jordan stepped back from the door and yelled at it, "Are you trying to stand me up, James?"
Silence.
Then he glanced more closely at the door. There was a smear of red just along the edge and the door wasn't closed completely. Odd. He reached forward and turned the knob, finding it unlocked. Slowly, he entered the house.
When he crossed the threshold, Jordan was floored immediately. Blood was splattered across the floors and walls. It looked like a murder scene.
His breath caught when his eyes settled Lily, lying limply on the floor. "Lily!" He cried, stepping across the blood-smeared floor to kneel down by Lily. She had a pulse but her breathing was ragged.
"James?!" His voice echoed. He was terrified. What had happened here?
He pulled his phone out and called 911.
YOU ARE READING
Behind Closed Hearts
Fanfiction""I don't hurt myself. I don't. I don't." He inhaled sharply. Through his mind flashed images of Nathen at his worst, towering over him with that look in his eyes. James flinched into his arms, gasping. "I wish he would just leave me alone," he said...
