He recalled sitting in the front passenger seat talking to Aaron, then he saw Aaron’s face contort into surprised fear as he turned the steering wheel hard to the right. Jimmy only heard a muffled metallic thud, and now he was trying to focus his eyes on the skewed surface of the ground where he lay; just then he realized he lying was on his side.
He turned onto his back. The motion brought about instant excruciating pain from his lower extremities. The pain caused the fogginess of his thoughts to begin to clear yet a part of him wanted the fuzziness to remain a few moments longer for fear of what he would have to face now: the reality of the wreck of which he was now a victim. Scared of how injured he might be, Jimmy began a self-assessment starting with his mental faculties.
I am Jimmy Weber. I live at 1248 Brightsand Circle. I am 23 years old. I am an undergraduate at Belles Junior College. My…
His breath caught in a spasm that wracked his body. Something was indeed very wrong yet Jimmy dared not move again. He had no idea where Aaron was, or the car, or even what had actually happened. He was in a car wreck; that much he knew. A nugget of dread had already taken root in him and it was growing with each passing minute. He wondered desperately why no one had stopped to help or why an ambulance, or the police, anyone had yet to appear on the scene.
Feeling very small and scared Jimmy lay there for what felt a long time.
The rain had pretty much stopped except for an occasional drop landing on Jimmy’s face. Still no one came.
A sound registered in Jimmy’s mind drawing his attention somewhere off to his left at the now darkened wooded fields. He wasn’t sure what the sound was; only that he had heard something. Moments passed. He heard that something again. Closer, he thought. With the last shreds of dusk giving way to night he chanced pain and turned his head toward the sound. His eyes saw something moving. It was making its way toward him. Its silhouette appeared to belong to a man yet, not.
Though the approaching figure was still several yards away, Jimmy somehow knew that this whatever-it-was meant his end was at hand. The silhouette came nearer; still, Jimmy could not make out any features of the face or see the fabric of the clothes the figure wore. It was simply a dark shape, darker than the surrounding dusk.
It came up to Jimmy. The shape stopped short a few feet from where Jimmy lay. It seemed to stand there motionless and just look at Jimmy.
Please. Help me. I’ve been in a car acc…accident. My friend is around here, too, I think. He was driving. I don’t know what happened ex..exactly.
The cold was setting into Jimmy’s body and making him stutter. It was hard talking; the effort made the pain in his midsection blossom with new vengeance.
The dark shape simply stared back at him, impassive. Then, with an almost reverential slowness the dark silhouette closed the remaining few feet between it and Jimmy, kneeling before Jimmy with its hands resting on its bent knees.
With tears suddenly welling in Jimmy’s eyes, he said, I don’t want to die…
The dark silhouette reached out with one of its hands, placing it gently upon Jimmy’s brow.
Jimmy’s crying quieted. His face no longer reflected the pain or the fear he had expressed moments before. He seemed to take one last deep breath. He did not release that last breath.
In the distance the alternating blue and red glows of oncoming lights could be seen. The dark shape kneeled by Jimmy’s body for several moments more and then stood, looking down at the lifeless body.
It gestured with its hand; an almost flick of the wrist. Jimmy’s body responded in answer by shaking with small spasms. And then it sat up, its lifeless head lolling side to side on its lifeless neck.
The silhouette turned and began making its way back the way it came, back into the wooded field. The lifeless body that was Jimmy jerkingly struggled and finally stood on its feet. It seemed to orient one way then another and after a moment turned in the same direction the dark shape had gone, and with a shuffling gait started off after the silhouette.
The only signs that a body had been on the road was a darkened fringe of congealed blood with the imprint of cloth from a semi bent pants leg.
Officer Kent slowed his car as he approached the accident scene. He pulled up behind another squad car parked on the side of the road and got out. Looking around he spotted the paramedics coming out single file from the bushes on the opposite side of the road with a stretcher being carried between them. On the stretcher lay a young man. His face was heavily bandaged. He watched the paramedics carry the man to the waiting ambulance.
“Detective Kent?” Turning, Kent saw a uniformed policeman walking toward him. Nodding in response, Kent waited for the officer.
“It seems we have a wreck involving two vehicles.” Motioning for Kent to follow the officer started back toward one of the mangled vehicles: an older model minivan.
“The driver of the minivan apparently dozed off and his vehicle veered into the opposite lane. The other car skidded ; it was veering to its right at the moment of impact. Guess the car’s driver saw the minivan and tried to maneuver away from it”
Detective Kent looked at the minivan with its entire left side bashed in almost to the driver’s seat. He saw beyond the minivan several small white markers with numbers on the ground marking off evidence. To the right of the markers at the edge of the shoulder he saw the outline normally used to mark off a body.
“Has the coroner already been here?” Kent asked.
“Funny you should ask that,” replied the officer, “We found what we believe is the resting place of a body: blood and what appears to be pieces of torn clothing stuck to the congealed fluids, but no body.”
“You are sure the ‘body’ wasn’t someone that might have been unconscious then came to, got up, and wandered off in the throes of shock?” Kent offered.
“No, sir. We’ve already had deputies scouring the area for several hundred yards and found nothing. We’ve called ahead to the next two towns checking to see if anyone’s brought in an accident victim and no one’s reported back anything.”
“And the drivers, either of them conscious?”
“No” answered the officer, “they’re both alive; paramedics say their injuries are serious but not life threatening. Hopefully we can get the their statements soon”
“Alright. Call me as soon as you learn anything new.”
With a nod the policeman went about his duties at the scene as detective Kent got back in his car and drove away.
From the woods the lifeless body of Jimmy stood quietly behind the dark silhouette. It’s bleeding had stopped completely and the blood was no longer making sticky sounds as the body moved. Still, the two waited patiently, watching the accident scene from the dark haven of the woods. After almost an hour the last squad car started up and extinguishing its lights pulled onto the road headed back down toward the town several miles away.
The silhouette watched the road in silence. With a small nod to itself turned and began to walk deeper into the woods. The lifeless body turned to follow, albeit now more stiffly in its movements. Behind them the last of the flares left on the road sputtered and with a last bright pink spark died out.
