Six Seconds

I.

Six seconds. That was all the time it took to change two lives. In the time it takes to tie your shoe; put on a pair of jeans, zip and button; login to facebook; wash your hands; unlock your front door; or turn on the ignition to your car…
In six sweet seconds, everything unfolded before her eyes. The wheel to her 98’ Honda Prelude jerked right, searing her forearm and the front end of her car crumpled toward her. The metallic free mass floated weightlessly across three lanes, but the strap across her chest locked, making her torso snap painfully back against the seat.
The windshield burst in all directions, glittering in the sun like diamonds, and flew across the pavement into the intersection. The other car rebounded, recoiling from the impact in the direction it had come from. A boy sailed from the vehicle. She squinted as a whoosh of wreckage and air struck her face, but her narrowed eyes continued to follow like an unwavering magnet as he skidded to a halt in the open field adjacent to the road. All that could escape from her lips was a yelp, as a puff of white canvas and fine dust entered her mouth and made her gag.
The girl’s car finally rested, and for an instant an eerie calm resonated. Then shuddering one last time, fumes began to spew from the mangled front and the smoldering rage made its way to her nostrils as it saturated the car. As she lifted her fluttering eyelids, fluid formed in the corners from the murky vapors that stung. She clawed through the deflated bag, gulping rapidly for air, but instead fear and panic were inhaled. She caressed her face to make sure she was still whole, straining each muscle as she did so. Oh Jesus, at least I’m not dead, she thought, but she found it peculiar that she didn’t see a white light or her whole life didn’t flash before her eyes. Oh shit! A boy certainly flashed before her eyes though.
Frantically, her trembling hands fidgeted with the door but the impact had compressed it into awkward angles. She was losing valuable time. Releasing her safety belt, she scooted to the passenger side and opened the door. A bit nauseated, she steadied both feet firmly on the ground. Shifting her weight she attempted to stand but harshly collapsed instead. She eagerly scoped the area for the young man and located him a little ways down the side of the road, about 50 feet from her, in a lush field of weeds. She gathered as much composure she could muster, and grabbed for handfuls of earth in order to drag herself to him.
His body distorted, legs one direction, arms sprawled wide, and his head crooked back a bit, but she could see his delicate face completely. Fresh, ruby slashes were etched in his exposed skin, a hideous gash above his brow was leaking immensely. His mouth gaped slightly open, his eyes peacefully sealed. In desperation, she gently fingered his neck for a pulse. A faint throb fluctuated in his glands, but his complexion was clammy and pale. She was unsure of how much longer he had. Something began to drain from her as well, her vigor was fading. All around her, the road, and the shards of metal, glass, and weeds began to blur. She grabbed his hand and slumped beside him. “Stay with me, everything is going to be okay, help is coming,” she wasn’t sure if she was whispering it to him or herself…

II.

“So pardon me while I burst into flames, I've had enough of the world, and it's people's mindless games,” his voice accompanied the music, while his fingers tap danced on the steering wheel to the sporadic drum beats. As the song progressed, so did his foot against the gas pedal and unknowingly, he propelled to 25 miles per hour over the recommended speed limit. He was in the zone, his gaze ahead of him unfocused because this was his daily route and he knew it all too well… the stop light that always took forever to turn green, the open field with potential plans to become an outdoor shopping mall in a few years, the crosswalk sign that now was dangling upside down, the pothole that he swerved around habitually since it hadn’t been fixed in two years, and beyond, a vast expanse of housing developments. “So pardon me while I burn and rise above the flame. Pardon me, pardon me. I'll never be the same.”
Suddenly a BANG reverberated from the rear of his vehicle, drowning out his tunes and daze. His foot automatically struck the brake pedal but it was unable to correct the malfunction. His pupils widened, and within 6 seconds many things occurred. He saw the double yellow line and then he was drifting over it. A haze of a green bulk shot towards him. For one abrupt instant, his eyes met those of the girl inside. After that, the green collided head on, while slithers of glass showered his face as his arms flew up to shield himself. Next, gravity wrenched his entire body outward as he soared from the vehicle. While his muscles tightened, the fluid in his organs were pulverized and swirled around like ice cream in a blender. As he rocketed through the atmosphere, a jagged mass smacked his brow, slashing all the way to his skull.
He was five again. Weightless, he was zooming in midair from the swing in his backyard. Seconds earlier, he had finally reached full momentum on the swing; his feet pumping vertical towards the sky, back down, and then up again. The cylindrical, metal legs that supported the frame of the swing set hopped from the base in the soil, while his body suspended off the plastic where his bottom sat, then thumped back down. He had watched his older sister do it so many times but when it was his turn, every time he was about to let go of the braided plastic his little hands clung to, his whole body tingled and he would grasp tighter. But this time it was different, he was ready, he was going to be a big boy. Once he reached the pinnacle height, he released his hands and thrust his body forward. Free and soaring. It was amazing, the currents of fresh air tickled his face as he watched his surroundings smear into dabs of green, blue and white like a Gaussian blur. Now the forces were pulling him down, his arms flailed and snatched the air in hopes of an invisible safety bar to save him. He squeezed his eyes shut as he plummeted. His left arm made contact first with the solid soil and all 43 pounds of him followed. An excruciating pain shot through his arm and the rest of his body as he tumbled across the grassy landing.
His battered body was skidding along the vast field, his skeletal structure fracturing in numerous places from the blow of the hard ground and speed that his outline was moving at. His organs battered, many things inside of him had ruptured. Plasma and hemoglobin were traveling to places they were not meant to go. His intake of oxygen became heavier and the air was having trouble reaching his brain.
He began to cry, and cradled his limp arm. He wasn’t a big boy at all. The pain was way too unbearable; his shock had put him into a state of bewilderment and all he wanted was his mommy. He continued to keep his eyes shut hoping it would shut out the pain as well. It was odd how he could go from one of the best feelings in the world to one of the worst.
Somewhere, a far distance away, his sister’s hand embraced his own and could hear her utter, “Stay with me, everything is going to be okay, help is coming…”