Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I chant over and over again. I let go of the steering wheel. The ice is having its way with my car. There’s no use holding on. All I can do now is leave it in the hands of a higher being. I’m like a see-saw, rocking back and forth along with some slipping and sliding. I cover my face, burrowing into my forearms and thanking everything in me for the invention of seatbelts. Maybe it will save my life that is currently flashing before my eyes.
My thoughts go haywire. I haven’t really lived, and here I am, going through the last thing I expected. I’m going to die a virgin. Yep, that’s my brain going in a million different directions. Not how to control the situation, even though I know I can’t. I’d never survive a zombie apocalypse. I’d collapse instead of being a problem solver. I’d have really liked to think Gabe McCoy could help me offload that pesky little label of virgin at the age of twenty-five.
I’m also completely bummed I’ve yet to finish my book about the duke and his virgin bride. Never mind I’ve yet to wear my sneakers. You know, the very reason I’m out in this stupid, brutal weather.
My car flips over. A loud screech leaves my lungs. One flip after the other, the loud metal crunching and the shattering of glass create their own symphony, one I’d rather never attend again. The airbag deploys, exploding toward my face as well as the left side of my body. The sound is so loud I’d imagine it’s a lot like what a gunshot would sound like at close range. It’s a noise that will stick with you for all of time. It’s a feeling you’ll remember, too. And through all of this, my car doesn’t stop, one tumble after the other until it stops, landing on the roof. My body hangs upside down, and the adrenaline that was pumping through my veins slowly fades. The bracing of my body was of no use except for maybe my face not meeting its maker called the airbag.
“Damn,” I groan, trying to push the fabric out of my face. The smoke from it smells and causes me to cough. My eyes grow heavy, the blaring of my horn doing nothing to stop the foggy haze taking over my brain. I reach my hand out, trying to reach for my phone only to realize it’s probably somewhere else than the cup holder I usually place it in. I’m screwed. There’s no other way around it. I’m not going to be able to save myself this time around. There’s no rescuing the damsel in distress. It’s enough to make my body shiver and shake. Stupid traitorous tears make their presence known, and I’d laugh if it didn’t hurt. Instead, I close my eyes. I’m bone tired, chilled to the core. Sleep is the only thing I want to do.
“Come on, Carsynn, finish your woe-is-me bullshit and get yourself out of this mess,” I say to the cold air swirling around me. I only hope I don’t freeze to death before getting out of this car or, you know, lose fingers due to frostbite while walking down the road until someone finds me or I find a house with not so crazy people inside.
10
GABE
“Damn it, Carsynn, where are you?” My eyes are peeled, looking down every back alley I can think of. I drove near the diner; she wasn’t there. I drove by the grocery store; it was completely desolate. The library was closed, and still my eyes haven’t found her car, and I’m beginning to think I’m running out of luck. Gramps has called me every ten minutes, like clockwork. It’s about that time again, and I’ve had to resort plugging my phone in to charge because at the rate we’re going, it’ll be dead by the time I finally do find my fairy of a woman.
The first time we spoke, he said he was waiting on a call from Sheriff Sanders. I don’t know what he’s doing or what’s taking so long for him to call back. There isn’t a lot of crime happening tonight. For the most part, people are off the roads after the emergency weather alert was broadcasted through phones. I glance at the clock, noting it’s been nearly an hour since I spoke to Gramps at the house and realized no one had heard from Carsynn.
“Hey, Gramps.” I hit the button on my steering wheel, my head whipping back and forth to look for her faded red car. I guess as far as good news goes, her car should be relatively easy to find.
“I’m getting in my car and am about to whoop Sheriff Sanders. I’ve known that boy since he was in diapers. He finally called me back and said he hadn’t seen Carsynn and to tell you to get off the roads. A fat lot of good he’s doing for the town of Plaine Hill. He’s sitting on his ass drinking a cup of hot chocolate while that poor girl is nowhere to be found.” My blood boils over. Friend or not, Sanders is going to get his teeth kicked in.