Compelled (a Hat Films Fanfic)

        I could barely remember what happened that day; it was as if there were holes in my memory that I intentionally punched out. It came in snapshots, random senses all mixing together.

        The screech of breaks...

        The smell of burnt rubber...

        The spray of blood against the pavement...

        The crunching of wood...

        The bright shine of the emergency lights through the rain...

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        I was headed home from work. It had been a busy day recording; we were trying to play minecraft and other games in bulk while Sips was here, so I left at about six that night.

        I slowed down at a cross walk and waved a skateboarder across the street. There was something odd in the way she moved, swaying back and forth as she maneuvered around the corner. I brushed it off, knowing that I was near the college and normally this part of town was crawling with hipsters. It wasn't abnormal to see them riding bikes or roller skating with their large rimmed glasses and man buns. They always struck me as odd.

        Though, the more I thought about it, the more the hipster disturbed me. I had only gotten a glimpse of a small smile as she thanked me for stopping, but I knew something was different about her. Was it the way she dressed? The way she looked at me, as if she was reading my soul in a simple glance.

        I put on my left blinker and dislodged the thought with a small shake of my head, focusing once more on the road. I drove down a long boulevard, going about 40. It wasn't that dark yet, and I drove with a type of instinct, not really paying attention.

        And that's when everything began to blur and get fuzzy. I don't know if it was 10 seconds or 10 minutes that passed before I saw the skateboarder again. I can't remember actually seeing her get hit by the oncoming car, just the scene after it.

        It was burned into my retinas. Her body was crumpled in an awkward, inhuman position; just a tangle of limbs and blood. For some reason I was mesmerized by the halo her brunette curls made around her head. And I noticed the skateboard, which wasn't really a skateboard. It was longer, and had ball bearings that explained the movement I had seen her doing earlier. I noticed the art on the underside; a collage of colors that mixed together in a complicated design, creating indistinguishable shapes until a closer look separated them into discernible figures. I stared at the crushed and splintered board for what seemed like ages, not wanting to return to the broken body on the pavement.

        I don't remember calling 999 or checking for a pulse and a breath as the operator told me, nor did I remember when the paramedics showed up and what happened to the girl afterwards. I do, however, recall telling the police anything I remembered, which wasn't much. I remember sitting on a curb and waiting for a long time, not saying anything and staring down at my shoes.

        They thanked me for my service and told me I could go home, that they had everything under control. I left in a daze, the image of her mangled body still clear in my mind, and would be there every time I close my eyes for the next few months.

        I didn't notice my wet clothes or the darkened sky as I drove. I didn't notice anything as I drove, letting my instinct lead me back to my apartment complex. I felt numbed, yet my knotting stomaching was still prevalent.

        The door swung open as I stepped up to it, Smith and Trott standing in the door way with worried looks on their faces. I was surprised that they were here, yet it dawned on me that they didn't live that far away and both had keys. "Where have you been?" Smith asked incredulously.

        "W...what?" I stammered, confused and overwhelmed by all the noise after the silence of the car ride. Everything seemed hyper realistic, and Smiths voice stabbed through my skull.

        "Mate, its 9 o'clock!" he yelled, "Didn't you hear your phone going off?" I pulled out my phone, seeing 19 missed calls and 7 text messages in total. It wasn't on silent, and I was actually surprised I didn't notice it ringing. "We were about to file a missing person report!" he blurted. I knew he was over exaggerating, but I was also aware that Smith worried easily.

        I brushed passed them and into the living room, letting the door shut behind me. I slowly sat down on the couch, feeling like my body was about to shatter with any sudden movements. "There...there was an accident," I said into the air.

        "What? Where? Are you okay? What happened? Are you alright?" they erupted, bombarding me with questions, not waiting for an answer before they continued on with the next one. It overwelmed me, and I shrunk in on myself, ignoring them.

        I tried to think of what happened, but there was a block on my mind, preventing me from connecting the few images I have into a cognitive picture. I thought about the girl, wondering if she was even alive at the moment. I think the paramedics preformed CPR, but anything else they did was shrouded in mist and confusion. Did they cover the body? Did they rush her to an ambulance? Did they take her to a hospital or a morgue?

        "Ross!" Trott yelled, his voice high with fear as he snapped in front of my face to get my attention, "What happened?"

        I looked up at him, and the fear was clear in his eyes. "Some girl..." I started, "She got hit on a skateboard..." I trailed off, wanting nothing else but to sleep and forget today's events.

        "Wait," Smith said, leaning on the arm of the couch so he towered over me. "Hold on, you didn't hit anyone did you?" he asked, the blood draining from his face.

        'No...it was someone else..." I said, standing up. I wasn't in the mood to explain it all, and I wasn't sure I could. I didn't want to relive that, not tonight. I pushed passed my friends, dragging myself to my room. I didn't care what they did, assuming they would probably stay the night.

        I kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed, jumper and jeans included. The events of the past few ours began hitting me in full force, and I felt tears staining my cheeks. I may have just witnessed a death, a homicide. I watched blood pool around someone I didn't know, someone who remains nameless and unfamiliar to me. There was something about her; it made my heart ache with pain and longing and tickled my brain with recognition.

        I tossed and turned, thinking about her and seeing her face covered in blood when I closed my eyes. The pictures tumbled around in my head until, eventually, the darkness of sleep pulled me under.

        The one thing that bothered me the most and filled me with self loathing was the thought that kept surfacing when I pictured both the driver and the skateboarder...

        Thank God it wasn't me.

        

A/N Hey guys! This is my newest fanfiction (my second one). It's a little different than all the other recuring themes here (adoption stories *groan*), and if you know my other fanfiction, you know that I am new and still learning about story development and pacing, as well as grammar, so please take that into consideration. Thank you for reading, and a vote really helps. Lastly, leave a comment on what you think, and hopefully I'll be adding more soon! Happy reading.