1

The Accident

 

 

KELLY

 

The car windows were smashed. Pieces of glass were everywhere. Kelly pushed the button on the seatbelt, but it stayed locked, and she couldn’t get out. She pushed it as hard as she could, but it wouldn’t open. The belt made her tummy hurt, and she wanted to be free, but she needed somebody to help her. She wanted her mommy.

            Where was Mommy? She couldn’t see her, but in her mind, Kelly could tell her mommy was hurt.

            “Mommy?”

            She sniffed. Something smelled like the gas in Daddy’s lawnmower. Kelly looked up, which was sideways because they were all sideways. Daddy hung sideways, too, still in his seatbelt. She couldn’t hear him at all and started to cry. She didn’t want Daddy to die, but his thoughts were completely gone.

            She pushed on the seatbelt button again. It wouldn’t let go. She cried harder.

            “Poor…Daddy. I love you, Daddy.” She kicked and wiggled, which hurt her tummy worse, so she stopped.

            Travis was in his car seat beside her. He was blurry because her eyes were full of tears, but she heard him sucking on his thumb. He was still alive.

            She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, sniffled, and hiccupped. “Help me!”

 

 

JON

 

Ten-year-old Jon Bishop woke up in a blur. His forehead ached and burned. He felt like he’d been baptized with a hammer. Where was he? Why did his stomach feel like somebody had tried to peel the skin off with a weed eater?

            Jon blinked, rolled his head, and looked up. He saw Kelly hanging above him, arms and legs dangling. She was crying.

            “Jon…h-h-help…me!”

            “Kelly? What happened? Were we in a wreck?”

            “No, we…w-w-were in a’ accident. Help m-me…Jon.” She sobbed. “M-m-my seatbelt got stuck! And my tummy…hu-hu-hurts real bad. I can’t get…out, and Mommy doesn’t hear me anymore!”

            Jon’s mind cleared somewhat. Things became familiar. They were in the family minivan, but the van lay on its side with the windshield smashed out. The driver’s door was crushed inward and pressed against his father. Mr. Bishop was utterly motionless, still held in place by the seatbelt. His right arm hung limp, like the deflated front airbag beside him. Blood drained from a gash in the side of his head.

            Jon had never seen so much blood. A coppery taste rose in the back of his throat. He couldn’t hold back the sudden spew of vomit that sprayed over the back seat of the van.

            Jon couldn’t see his mom in the other seat. What had happened? Where were they? He worked hard to remember.

            They’d been driving on winding back roads in the middle of nowhere when all at once everything had vanished. Jon sat up on full alert. The highway, the trees, even the stars disappeared. One minute it was all there, a second later gone! Jon looked right, then left, then up. Nothing. Was it fog? A moment later he caught the smell of burning plant matter.

            “That stinks!” he said, pinching his nostrils. “What is it, Dad?”

            “Forest fire,” said his father in the driver’s seat, pointing to the left. “About sixty miles that way. Been burning for weeks.” He slowed the car to a safer speed, but speed had nothing to do with visibility.

            “How can you see where you’re going?”

            “I can’t, but there’s no shoulder to pull off to. If we stop or slow down too much, and somebody comes up behind us…well, it’s better if we keep moving.”

            Jon got the message and kept a nervous eye out the rear window. The only thing he could see was the reddish glow of their taillights reflected in the noxious gray smoke. A split second later, the air cleared. Jon blinked, startled. He watched the wall of smoke shrink away behind them.

            “There,” said Mr. Bishop. “Much better.”

            “Thank God,” said Mrs. Bishop, riding in the passenger front seat. “I don’t know how you drove through that.”

            “Me either,” admitted her husband.

            Mrs. Bishop let out a long sigh of relief, like she’d been holding her breath the whole time. The road looked clear now, but Jon knew she was too much of a worrier to relax.

            His dad didn’t seem rattled at all. If he’d been even a little afraid, he didn’t show it. How’d he do that? How’d he stay so calm? Jon made a mental note to himself: look brave no matter what. Dad could pull it off, why couldn’t he? After all, everyone said they were practically clones. They had the same sandy blond hair, intense blue eyes, and easy-going manner. Mr. Bishop often joked that someday one of them would have to grow a mustache, so people could tell them apart. It made sense. If Dad could do something, Jon could too—with a little practice.

            “Are we there yet?” Kelly Bishop popped up in the captain’s seat behind their father, still half asleep. Kelly was a miniature version of Mrs. Bishop with the same warm, brown eyes and matching curly hair. She was six now and would finish the first grade in another month, but she could already read on a fifth-grade level. That kid read just about anything. Jon didn’t see the point. He didn’t care about books unless they had something to do with karate, swords, or computers.

            “Kelly, honey,” said Mrs. Bishop. “Why don’t you go back to sleep? It’ll be hours before we get home.”

            Jon laughed softly. Suggesting something like that to Kelly was a bad idea, if that’s what you really wanted her to do. Kelly hated to go to sleep at night almost as much as she despised getting up in the mornings. Right away she perked up a little and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. “I don’t want to miss anything.”

            “All you’re going to miss is a whole lot of nothing,” said her dad, winking at her in the rearview mirror. Jon got a kick out of that. Kelly tried to wink back, but she couldn’t shut just one eye, so she blinked them both. As usual, it made them laugh. Minutes later, Kelly closed her eyes and nodded off again.

            “Travis has the right idea,” said Mr. Bishop. “He’s been asleep since we left.”

            Three-year-old Travis Bishop sat in his car seat with his curly blond head tilted to one side. Travis had Dad’s blue eyes and Mom’s smile, but other than that, he hardly looked like part of the family.

            “That kid could sleep through an earthquake,” said Jon, laughing. He slouched in the rear seat and stretched his long legs into the space between Kelly and Travis. There was a cardboard box on the seat beside him that contained two trophies. Jon took up the trophies and studied them in the dim light. The first trophy had a small karate figure on top, forever frozen in the middle of a big kick. The second showed a samurai sword surrounded by some leafy patterns. Jon put them back in the box while he dwelled on the single word engraved at the bottom of each trophy. Champion. Oh yeah.

            He’d competed in two events, kumite, or fighting, and weapons—both in his age group. As he watched other kids in the tournament, he realized he could have beaten most of them, even kids who were years older than him. The strange thing was he didn’t just think he could’ve won; he knew it. Maybe next time Sensei would let him move up into another age bracket. That’d be sweet. He loved challenging competition.

            Jon got the feeling he was being watched and looked up. His mom was studying him with her mouth scrunched over to one side like she was biting the inside of her jaw. She usually had that look when she was thinking.

            “What?” he said.

            “I wish your grandparents were alive,” said Mrs. Bishop with a sad smile. “They’d be so proud of you!”

            Jon grinned and hung his head modestly. This was the most awesome day ever! He was entirely sure nothing could ruin it for him. Nothing.

            All at once everything outside vanished again. Mr. Bishop quickly switched to the bright headlights, but it was like bouncing a spotlight off a mirror right back into their eyes.

            “That didn’t work,” he said, dimming the lights. He returned to a lower speed. “I’m sure there’s an intersection around here. Wish I could see.” He’d barely spoken the words when a yellow glow appeared in front of them. Mr. Bishop hit the brakes. They skidded to a complete stop just as the light changed to red. Travis never stirred, but Kelly woke up immediately.

            “Good call, Dad.” Jon gripped his seat with white knuckles. That was close. Scanning the area, he could just make out dim lights and the ghostly outlines of a few old buildings around the intersection. It looked like a small town comprising a half-dozen houses, a gas station, and some kind of store. People lived there, but the smoke made the whole place seem deserted.

            “Are we there yet?” asked Kelly, groggily.

            “We’re at Boyd’s Crossroads,” said their dad, looking right and left.

            “I don’t remember this,” said Mrs. Bishop. “Do you know where we are?”

            “Never been lost in my life. The smoke makes it look different, that’s all.” Mr. Bishop pointed ahead. “See? There’s the sign for I-95. It’s four miles to the interstate.”

            “Does that mean there won’t be any more smoke?” asked Jon.

            “It’ll be four lanes and a safer drive either way.”

            “What time is it?” said Kelly.

            “Why?” asked their dad jokingly. “Do you have an important meeting tonight?”

            “Oh, Daddy, I was just wondering.” She rolled her eyes and giggled.

            Mr. Bishop checked his watch. “Ten after ten.”

            It wasn’t unusual for Mr. Bishop to tell them what time it was since he wore a watch, and they didn’t. Even Travis asked about it, now and then, as his vocabulary rapidly grew. But this was the one time of day that Jon would never forget as long as he lived.

            The light turned green. Mr. Bishop eased the minivan forward. Smoke covered them like a shroud as they passed through the intersection. Jon wondered how his dad could even tell where the road was. Suddenly, a bright flash tore aside the darkness. Jon saw it coming. Headlights! A truck!

            At that moment, he recalled the time. Ten after ten. It would be the last thing his father ever said. Then everything went black.

 

 

JON

 

Jon understood now. They had been in a wreck. His stomach hurt because the seatbelt had saved his life, but right now it was putting a major squeeze on him. He caught a pungent smell in the air. Gasoline. Something was smoldering too and smelled foul. The car could catch fire at any moment. They needed help fast. Somebody had to do something!

            But nobody else was there. He was the only one who could do anything at all.

            Kelly cried out. “M-m-mommy! Daddy! Help me!”

            Jon released the buckle on his seatbelt and dropped to the passenger side window, which was now on the street. Slowly, he stood on wobbly legs and got his bearings. Kelly thrashed above him. She cried and kicked wildly. The toe of her shoe poked his forehead, nearly jabbing him in the eye.

            “Kelly, stop! I’ve got you!”

            She calmed enough for him to unlock her seatbelt and catch her. He reached overhead and manually opened the sliding door. “Are you okay?”

            Kelly trembled with relief. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I…I think so.”

            “Good. Get out. I’ll lift Travis up to you. Take him to a safe place, okay?”

            Kelly climbed out the side door which was now on top.

            “Here,” said Jon from below. “Don’t drop him.” He lifted Travis up through the door. Kelly took the little boy and set him beside her on the van. Jon frowned. His baby brother was utterly still, arms and legs dangling listlessly. “Is he all right? Is he, you know…alive?”

            “He’s still asleep.”

            “He really can sleep through anything! Can you see what happened to us?” Jon looked up and watched his sister scan the area.

            “We were in a’ accident.” With a six-year-old’s vocabulary, she described the surrounding scene. The top of the van had jammed against a telephone pole. Smoke rose from somewhere inside the engine compartment and fluids leaked all over the street. About thirty feet away, a huge dump truck rested with its front partially smashed in. Steam rose from its engine, but she didn’t see anyone inside the truck.

            “Go,” said Jon solemnly. He climbed through the door, poking his head into the night air. From there he kept a cautious eye on Kelly as she did her best to climb down the luggage rack to the street without losing her hold on Travis. She made it and carried her brother to a safe spot. Satisfied, Jon dropped back into the van. Two down, two to go.

            He stepped over and around the captain’s seats until he got to his mother. Mrs. Bishop lay curled up on the passenger door, still in her seatbelt. He released the seatbelt and bent to pick her up. Jon was strong, and his mother was tiny, so he thought he could handle her weight. But her limpness made her heavy. It was everything he could do just to move her. Luckily, the windshield was completely gone, broken and scattered all over the street. He climbed through the opening and carefully took his mother under her arms. With all his strength, he dragged her out of the vehicle.

            Kelly put Travis on a patch of damp ground and ran back to help. Broken glass crunched under their shoes as they dragged Mrs. Bishop to where Travis was curled up, sucking his thumb.

            “Jon, you’re bleeding!” Kelly touched the edge of his forehead. A two-inch wound bled freely down the side of his face.

            It explained why his head hurt. He turned away from her. “Don’t. I gotta get Dad.” He was about to go back to the van when he noticed Kelly staring oddly at their mother. Jon looked down. Something about her neck didn’t look right. It had an unnatural bend to it, as if snapped to one side.

            Flames rose from inside the engine. They both jumped back.

            “Jon!”

            Jon froze. Was this really happening? He wanted to act, but his feet wouldn’t move. The van could explode at any second and all he could do was watch.

            Jon! Hurry!

            The words shouted inside his head. He recognized Kelly’s voice, but somehow her mouth hadn’t moved when she said it. The urgency in her eyes made him jump. He raced to the van.

            “Dad! Dad, wake up!”

            Fire spread over the van like a hot flood. The front license plate read BISHOP 5, but the letters curled and turned black in the intense heat. In the flickering light, Jon saw his father more clearly than before. His head and face were bloodier than he’d realized. Jon fought off a wave of terrible thoughts that his dad might already be dead. No! Not dead! He has to live!

            Jon tried to crawl through the windshield. Scorching flames shot up and blocked the way. The fire was everywhere. How could he possibly save his father? He went toward the windshield opening again. The heat was intense. Flames licked at his face. He drew back in near panic. All at once he cried. He couldn’t help it.

            “DAD!” he screamed. “DAD! WAKE UP!” Jon had never felt so helpless. Frustration gave way to desperation.

            “DADDY! PLEASE, WAKE UP!”

            His father never moved. But the fire responded with the roar of a hungry beast. Desperation gave way to madness.

            Ignoring the danger, Jon broke through the wall of fire and got inside the minivan. Flames licked at him from every angle, but it didn’t matter anymore. He’d rather die with his dad than live without trying to help him.

            Hot smoke filled the van. Jon tried to recall the fire safety tips he’d learned at school. But those lessons had only covered being in a burning house. This was completely different. The toxic fumes of melting plastic and burning fuels were suffocating. It didn’t seem to matter whether he stood tall or kept low. Either way, he inhaled scalding, poisonous gases. He groped around and found his dad.

            Beside him, Mr. Bishop hung from his seatbelt, unconscious—or worse. His face and head were bloody.

            “DAD!”

            Jon tried to undo the seatbelt. The buckle was hot. It burned his fingers just to touch it. A strip of molten plastic dripped off the door and landed across his left forearm. It seared the flesh instantly.

            Jon screamed in agony, but he never stopped fighting the seatbelt release. He pressed the release button with all his strength. It stayed locked tight.

            “I can’t get it open!”

            “Jon! Get out of there!” Kelly had moved closer to the fire.

            “I’m not leaving him! Get away!”

            Jon fought furiously with the seatbelt. His fingers burned every time he touched the hot buckle. He pulled and punched and even chewed on the belt. Nothing could open it. Any second now the van was going to blow up. If it did, he would die with his father.

            Fine! he thought. Then I’ll die, too!

            NO! cried Kelly inside his head. You can’t!

            Jon looked up, stunned. It sounded like she was in his mind again.

            “I can’t get it open!” He coughed, desperate for clean air. Tears poured out of his eyes. He needed to get away from the fire—but not without Dad.

            Suddenly, Jon got the feeling he wasn’t alone. He looked back.

            An older man in blue jeans and white running shoes also risked the flames. He stooped over the dashboard and reached out his hand. Resting in his palm was a Swiss army knife, the longest blade pulled out.

            “Here, kid!” cried the man. “You’d better hurry!”

            Jon took the knife and quickly sawed through the seatbelt. His father landed hard on top of him. Luckily, the man caught some of the load. Together they dragged and tugged Mr. Bishop out of the van. By now, several other people had arrived to help. Moments later, the van exploded in a ball of fire.

            “I called the police and the rescue squad,” said an old woman who stood beside the man with the pocketknife. “An ambulance is on the way.”

            Jon coughed uncontrollably in deep heaves. The man patted him on the back to help loosen the nastiness in his lungs. His face, arms, and hands were burned and bloody. The old woman started slapping his right leg just above the ankle.

            “Your pants are on fire!” She quickly put it out.

            “Kid, that’s the bravest damn thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” said the man with the knife. “Or the stupidest. But I understand why you did it.” The man looked at the Swiss army knife and shook his head. “It’s strange. I didn’t own a pocketknife until a half hour ago. Some guy I didn’t know came up to me and put it in my hand. He told me it was a good knife and might come in handy sometime.”

            Jon barely heard him. He looked down at Kelly, who sat beside their mom and little brother. She leaned close to her mother’s face and whispered to her.

            “Mommy! Wake up, Mommy! Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

            Their mother opened her eyes ever so slightly. She half smiled at her daughter. Then her fading gaze settled on Jon as she let out a long, last breath and lay still. Kelly jerked and cried out like she’d gotten electrocuted. She grabbed her own head with both hands and sobbed.

            “I love you, too, Mommy! Oh, Mommy, please don’t leave us!” Kelly looked up at Jon. “She said goodbye. She said she loves us all. It hurts my head so bad!”

            Jon stared at his mother in total shock and disbelief. “No! She’s not dead! I saved her! They’re just hurt!”

            “No….” Kelly wailed in spastic throbs. “They’re…dead!”

            Kelly flopped across her mother’s body and pressed her face into her breast. Jon looked down at his mom, then at his dad. Dad hadn’t stirred the entire time they moved him, and he clearly wasn’t breathing now. It finally struck him like a bolt of lightning. Kelly was right. Their mommy and daddy really were dead. Jon collapsed from the shock. The man caught him by one arm and set him on the ground.

            The old woman checked Mrs. Bishop’s pulse. After a while, she bit her lip and went to Mr. Bishop. She shook her head sadly. “Little girl’s right. I don’t know how she knew, but she’s right.”

            All at once Travis sat up, thumb in mouth, looking dazed. He smiled groggily at the woman. Then the boy curled up in the crook of his dead mother’s arm and went back to sleep.