Chasing October

Chapter 5

~~3 years ago~~

October stood, shivering, outside the bar. The cold wracked her body and she realised how stupid she was for going clubbing in mid-July, winter in Australia. She'd called her dad to come pick her up and bring her home for the weekend. She was planning to surprise them tomorrow, not tonight with a debunked 3am call.

Women left with lovers, for one night stands, people leaving with escorts, boyfriends, girlfriends. The bar was closing and October was left too drunk to drive, especially with the laws in Australia. Her dads Prius pulled up into the curb, the back automatic door opened, revealing a very drunk, very sleepy Clarabelle. Just 22 and abusing her rights, this was, of course, the third time Mike had to drive one of his 5 drunken daughters home this week. Clara responsible for 2 of them.

October shook her head, shorn, home cut strands flying in her face, sticking to the sweat pooling on her brow. She wrapped her hands around goosebump covered arms, and climbed into the backseat. The short skirt she wore ran up her thighs, tightening uncomfortably, sticking to the sheen. She buckled up her seat belt and let her head loll to the side in a hazy mist of deliriousness.

"Oct, honey. Calm down with the booze, please. You girls are worrying me." Mike said from the front seat, taking his eyes off the road for barely a second to glance at his youngest daughter. Out of his 9 children, she was supposedly the happy-go-lucky one. Lewis and Keiran the twins at 27 were in desperate need of calming down. Natalyie was next, the party girl in her own right was rubbing off on her second youngest sister al bit too much. David, angry, hard working, compulsive...needed a woman to bring a sense of calm and normality to his busy life. Jackson and Patrick, not twins but so alike they could be, they hadn't been seen for ages, being barely nine months apart, they moved out and away together. Jai, the calmest of the nine and first to pass university was exactly calm and collected as an overseas journalist needed to be. Clarabelle, sweet, innocent...first to fall into adult hood, even if it was not the way they wanted her to. And October, their special child....Mikes wife, Anastacia, had fallen ill with cancer when she was conceived and was convinced that her child mightn't make it. Born 2 months premature, on the 10th of October, she came. Their miracle. Anastacia hadn't lived to see her youngest start school, but loved each one unconditionally until her final hours.

"Da, wassuuuuup?" October slurred, Mike lost in his thoughts.

"Nothing, honey." He looked back up towards her. A look of indescribable worry covered her stupored features.

"Da! Look out!" She yelled, rousing Clarabelle. Mikes eyes returned to the road as both he and a unwary truck driver collided. Both girls screamed, Mikes heart beat faster and the only thing he could fathom was the safety of his two youngest.

What would Ana do? Save the girls, do it for Ana. Were his thoughts. The truck toppled over the Prius, rolling it into a light post on the side of the highway, both rolling at high velocity into a gully. Rocky terrain smashing windows, glass embedding itself into all 4 of the victims. Clara cried the loudest. Octobers eyes blinked open at the end of their descent. A bright light kept constant, bleeding into the car. A warm liquid covered her whole body, pain ensued when ever she tried to move, Clarabelles cries filling the deformed car. Their father unmoving.

"Da? DA!" October cried, her eyes stinging with unshed tears and pain. Mikes body remained immobile, no response. October and Clarabelle looked at each other, tears pooling in their eyes. A loud sob was heard, they looked to the massive truck, leaking flour and other powdery cooking ingredients...a faint 'Coles' could be seen. They'd crashed into a food transport truck. The driver was struggling at his seat belt, equally as drunk as the two girls.

Sirens could be heard, wailing and shrieking...much like the 3 conscious passengers. Lights could be seen through gossamer eyelids, flashing blue and red. Talking, the screech of radios, help. October tried to cry out, but her throat was dry, Clarabelle had fainted and the other driver was screeching incoherent swear words into the rising sun.