Game Junkies is over, and it's time for something new. I thought I'd share something that I wrote a few years ago for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer's Month). A few months before, I'd had a car accident – hydroplaned on I-95 – and rear ended a truck, totaling my car. Fortunately, no one was hurt. However, when it came to moving the vehicles off the road, I was at a loss. Luckily, several helpful people stopped to help. One of them was a handsome, tall, blond man who looked like he might be military, or a police officer. He helped us get the car out of the road, then disappeared as if he'd never been there.
Given the circumstances, I had to make sense of it somehow, so I decided to write this story. In fact, the events of Blythe's accident are based on mine. A young woman stopped to help, and she became Jessamine. I will remain grateful to them for their help.
I hope you will enjoy Fly by Night ~ A Love Under the Sun Romance, starting next week. Below is a short excerpt. Enjoy!
Chapter One
Rain fell in endless sheets, hammering against the windshield. Wiper blades on high couldn't keep up, clearing a patch here and there, only to fill immediately with droplets. Ironically, the morning forecast had called for sunshine and partly cloudy skies with a 20% chance of rain. That 20% was currently drowning the landscape. Wipers raced, water slashed against the bottom of the car as it sliced through puddles on the interstate. Drainage ditches couldn't keep up with the rainfall. Already, a foot of water stood at the sides of the road.
Division Bell by Pink Floyd, blared from the speakers. One reason Blythe Donovan had purchased the car, was the superior sound system. Okay, it was the main reason, but she told her friends it was because of the fantastic mileage. Wanting to hear Marooned again, Blythe tapped the button to take her back to the beginning. Her eyes left the road for less than 5 seconds. Movement and a flash of tail lights greeted her startled eyes. Ahead of her, the cars had slowed to a crawl. The sky chose that moment to open further, dumping gallons of water on the already sodden land.
"Oh, God! Help me!"
She watched the tail lights of the car ahead of her, get closer. Foot firmly on the brake, she panicked, trying to turn her car off the road. The steering wheel didn't respond as the car hydroplaned on the accumulated water. She saw a trailer hitch as she plowed into the rear end of a pickup. Time ran in slow motion as the vehicles collided. There was a sickening crunch of metal, glass flew, air bags exploded from the console. The seat belt snapped into action, cutting brutally across her collarbone. Smoke filled the car as she shuddered to an unsteady halt. Terrified by the smoke and noises, she struggled with her belt and car door.
The other vehicle rolled off the road, but her poor mangled car wasn't going anywhere. Cars surged around her as she fumbled with her telephone. She knew someone had probably already called in the accident, but that was what people did, right? The dispatcher answered and she burst into tears.
"I ran into someone. My car is broken."
"Calm down, miss. It's all right. We've already had a report. An officer is on the way. Try to stay calm. Are you hurt?"
"I don't think so."
"Can you move your vehicle?"
"Not by myself."
"Help is on the way. Stay out of the road."
"Okay."
©2022 Dellani Oakes
No comments:
Post a Comment