Prove To Be

1

Jay Evans opened her eyes, only to shut them again after wincing against the assault as a bomb of pain exploded inside her brain. She sank back onto her pillow with a groan and stared at the ceiling, shifting and swirling with stars dancing across her vision. The more Jay stared at the ceiling, the more she realized how different it looked. Through her confusion, she wondered if this was her bedroom at all.

She raised her head and examined her surroundings, taking in the off-white walls and dull-looking room. That was all she could identify before her stiff neck muscles gave way to the sharp pain shooting through her skull.

Recollecting her thoughts, Jay managed to come to terms with where she was and what happened to her for her to be here.

"Jay, you've been in a car wreck." The words rang through her head in an uncomfortable symphony. "You're going to be taken to the hospital."

As she thought of her accident more, the pounding in her head reached a level of intensity that had her vision turning blotchy with black spots until she was enveloped in darkness.

The road was black. The only form of light came from the headlights on Jay's car, and even then, it was hard to see. Raindrops clung to her windshield. Her wiper blades could barely keep up with the storm's assault. The car's tires kicked up mud from the gravel road onto her paint and windows. She was trying to get home before the storm could get any worse. Unfortunately for her, her family's house was on the outskirts of town and along a gravel road. Which meant she also had to be wary of any animal life that could hop out of the ditches and onto the road.

As Jay drove the road leading to her home, she couldn't help but feel a weight settle in her chest. She wasn't scared of driving on a gravel road while it was raining in the dark. She's had enough experience of driving underneath her belt to know how to drive on gravel as well as in the rain. No, she wasn't scared; she felt off. Her skin prickled suddenly. It wasn't cold in her vehicle, for she had the heat turned almost all the way up. Something didn't settle right with her as she drove alone on the dirt road. Not even the moon showed its face behind the inky, dark clouds above.

Against her better judgement, she moved her hand to turn up the fan to its highest setting. The fan kicked into high gear, and more heat circulated throughout her car. Just as her hand left the dial, she caught sight of white orbs flashing in the ditch beside her. It happened in seconds. A large shape came rushing out of the ditch and in front of her car. She knew she shouldn't have, but because some internal instinct was screaming at her to make the car stop, she slammed on the breaks hard. That's when her vehicle spun out of control and smacked into the animal on the road.

Jay's head smashed on the driver's window as her car tumbled down the steep ditch. All she saw was the pinpoint of where her headlights shone into the darkness that seemed to grow and snuff out any source of light in front of her. Jay blacked out for a second, or so she thought before she came to. An animalistic creature stood where her headlights shone, and she watched in horror as this thing turned into a humanoid silhouette. Silver eyes stared back at her. She was fading into unconsciousness, and she couldn't control it.

As she awoke, she tried to understand the commotion happening around her. Although her eyes blurred, she was able to understand she was still in the hospital. Her throat was sore as she groaned. The lights were too bright.

"Hey," someone spoke softly. "How are you feeling?" She knew that voice, it sounded more tired than usual, but it was familiar nonetheless.

"Sore," She admitted. "Where's mom?"

"You just missed her. She was checking on you a few minutes ago. She had a few other patients to look after, but she said she would be back."

"This was probably the last thing that was on her mind tonight." Jay cracked a smile. Her dad shook his head in amusement. His radio went off, someone on the other line spilling some words over the static. "Are you on the job?" Jay asked.