Page 28 of Bloody Quarter

“Hurry, Evie.”

“I’m trying.”

“I got mine open,” Tammy said, the little car whining as the revs continued to push the red line. We were going to blow the engine at this rate.

Thud.

The car jerked as the truck rammed us from behind, knocking the back end loose. My stupid anger. We should’ve called the cops. Why did I have to go back there? He was going to kill us, the crazy asshole.

“Call 911,” I yelled, and then we all screamed as we were hit again.

“It’s ringing,” Tammy cried.

With a loud bang, the engine blew at the same time the truck pulled out and slammed into the side of us. I screamed and slammed on the brake as we headed for the ditch and the dense trees, but it was too late.

“Hang on!”

As soon as the tire hit the gravelly edge, everything stopped, and the car became quiet as it sailed through the air. There was a peaceful moment as it flipped upside down, and then we hit the ground, the metal groaning and tearing apart as the car rolled. Glass smashed around me, and the airbag hit me with so much force it felt like I’d been punched in the face. Then everything went black.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

My eyes fluttered open. What was ticking? What happened? My head rang, and my eyesight was blurry. Blinking, I looked to my left and stared out…a window and trees? My legs hurt, and I winced as I tried to move. Was I stuck? Everything in front of my face was white, and I slowly lifted my arm and wiggled my fingers as I stared at my hand. I could feel something warm running down my face, and I touched my head. My hand came away red. Blood? Was I bleeding?

Accident…we were being chased, and we went off the road. No. I turned my head to the right and opened my mouth. I stared at the side of my sister and tried to make sense of what I was looking at. As my brain pieced it together, I screamed at the top of my lungs. Evie’s body was limp, her head sagged forward, and her long hair curtained the side of her face. But it was the tire iron lanced through Evie’s chest that had terror lancing my own.

“No, no, no. Evie?” I tried to move, but my legs were pinched under the steering column. No, no, no. Reaching out, I moved her hair away from her face. “Evie? Wake up, please stay with me.”

Her eyes were open, but she didn’t blink, and I cupped her face, blood dripping from her mouth. “Evie! No! Don’t you dare die. I love you, stay with me. Help, we need help.”

I looked back but couldn’t see Tammy. “Tammy, did you reach 911? Tammy?” I pushed the airbag down, and blood smattered the inside of the windshield, a gaping hole in the center, and Tammy’s lifeless body was lying on the hood of the car. Oh my god, oh my god.

“Hello, hello, 911 here. Are you there?” A flicker of light could be seen in Tammy’s hand, her phone still glowing in the darkness. Tears clogged my throat and raced down my cheeks. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

“Help, please help us,” I yelled hysterically, grabbing my sister’s limp hand. I linked our fingers together. “Please help! Come on, Evie,” I cried. “I love you, please God no…I’m so sorry, Evie. I’m so sorry.”

Greyson

I was fucking livid. Not only was the order I placed from our alcohol supplier wrong, and I had to order more on a rush, but everything that could go wrong did. Our regular DJ called in sick, so I scrambled to get another. The lights wouldn’t lower to the dim setting, and I had a call in to the electrician as to why we were either as bright as the sun or nothing at all. Two toilets in the men’s bathroom backed up, and the floor had to be scrubbed clean. Three glasses were smashed, making the floor sticky, and then a pair of assholes got in a drunken fight over a girl who was cheating on them both.

“Thanks, Marty,” I said to the cop as he left with the two idiots in handcuffs. They could kill each other all they wanted. Who was I to tell them not to? But you didn’t smash our bar stools. Fuckers. We kicked everyone out at eleven, even though there was a line down the street. It was like something was telling us to shut down for the night. Lennox was already gone when I got out of the shower and decided to find Alora.

The bakery and diner were both closed, and there was no meeting at the rec center tonight. The schedule didn’t have another late one until tomorrow, so I aimed for the shelter. Driving past the front door, I growled at the sight of so many sitting and standing around outside. It would be far too tricky to break in when there were still so many people awake. Parking, I cut the engine and walked down the street to the front entrance. This was a dumb idea. Showing my face was risky, but I needed to see her, smell her, and touch her skin.

No one was manning the counter when I stepped inside, so I took advantage and looked around, but the cot Alora had used the other night was empty. My eyes searched every corner of the place, but there was no flash of her pretty blue hair. Fuck, where was she?

Stepping outside, a man leaned against the wall, smoking. He eyed me, and I eyed him back. He was the type who would be in the know.

“Excuse me, have you seen Alora?”

“Who’s asking?” He sucked in a long draw of his smoke and blew it in the air before doing something few had the balls to do and stared directly into my eyes. He was the type of man I could torture for days, and he’d go to his grave smiling at me. I already liked and hated him for that. It also meant he was going to see through me if I wasn’t very fucking careful.

“Name’s Greyson.”

“That’s nice, Greyson. I really don’t give a fuck what your name is. Why are you looking for Alora?”

I smirked. What the hell did you say when it was past midnight? “I’m from the meetings at the rec center and…well, we’re not really supposed to talk about what happens, and I don’t want to break Alora’s trust, but I’m concerned. I didn’t see her at work when I went in like normal to say hi, and now she’s not here.” I shrugged. There was just enough truth in that statement to make it believable for him. I didn’t see her at work when I went by the bakery, but she could’ve been in the back, and the last time I spoke to her, she was upset, so that wasn’t a lie.

It felt like the guy was assessing me and my words as he finished his smoke before crushing it under his boot. He would’ve played the part of a cowboy outside of a saloon very well. All he needed was a hat and a gun strapped to his waist.