FLASH FICTION ~ SEPTEMBER

NO!!!!! How is summer break over already? I can’t believe it. The days are getting shorter and soon…rain, rain and more rain. While I don’t mind the cooler temperatures it’s the darkness. I love having it stay light until damn near midnight, lol.

Oh, well, moving on. It’s picture flash fiction. This isn’t directly tied to any other story, but a fave character is going to pop in at the end. So here’s the photo and the story…

17241577 - color shot of a vintage car in a forest
17241577 – color shot of a vintage car in a forest

Sunlight streamed through the trees as Trina wove her way along the trail, listening to the trees rustle from the light breeze. Flecks of colour dotted the landscape as brittle leaves fell to the ground, turning the lush green into a sea of reds and yellows. She smiled, stopping to pick up a perfectly formed maple leaf before taking the next branch. It turned back on itself, gently sloping down to the road where she’d parked her car.

It was later than she’d thought, the weave of trees and bushes hiding the low dip of the sun as it kissed the horizon. Though, hadn’t the sun just been overhead? She looked up the road, frowning when the scenery flickered—making the area look like the image on an old television as the signal stopped and started randomly. It hung for a moment, half her car fading into black. And was her headlight on?

She rubbed her eyes, relaxing when the surroundings took shape, nothing remotely unusual about the reflection of the trees on her windshield or the way the road stretched out in both directions, boarded by and endless forest. The gold leaves shone in the waning light as she opened the door and climbed in. The engine purred to life, calming any residual nervousness as she pulled out from the side and headed north.

Music played in the background—an old rock tune from the eighties—as she followed the twisting road toward her grandparent’s cottage. God she loved this place. Had since her parents had brought her here as a child. She only wished she had more time—that this mini vacation would stretch on forever.

Static cut through the song, the loud blast making her jump. Trina cursed as she drifted too close to the side, kicking up a billow of dust and leaves. Another few inches and she could have lost control if the tire had caught in the soft shoulder.

Trina tightened her grip on the steering wheel, squinting when the next corner filled her windshield with sunlight, instantly blinding her. She reached for the shade, yanking on it in an attempt to shove it off to one side.

“Damn it, move!”

It snapped free just as movement flashed through the light. She stared back at the street, screaming when she hit the woman riding her bike along the edge of the road, knocking her into the ditch. The bike flipped over her limp body, gathering in a mangled heap on the edge of a small embankment.

Panic dropped her stomach and quickened her breath as she pulled her Volkswagen over, leaving it running before running back to the injured woman. Blood matted her hair, a small pool already collecting on the dirt and gravel beneath her. Trina lightly touched the woman’s shoulder, pulling her hand back when the body twitched.

“Oh god, oh god, oh god. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

She reached into her pocket, slipping her phone into her hand. She unlocked the screen the clicked on the phone, staring at the keypad—the numbers overly bright in the dull light. She needed to call 911, even if the woman looked dead. But then she’d have to tell them what happened—the part where she’d basically murdered the woman.

Trina shook her head. It had been an accident. The sun blinding her—she hadn’t seen the woman until it was too late. Trina glanced up the road, noting the rut from her tire in the dirt long before she’d collided with the biker. Had she driven off the road again when she’d been trying to move the shade?

Fear roiled through her. No. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t go to jail. She had her whole life ahead of her. It wasn’t fair that she was supposed to toss it away because of an incident that wasn’t even her fault?

But…

She shoved her phone back in her pocket, then stood, quickly moving over to the bike. The back tire spun at a crocked angle as she lifted the twisted metal and tossed it over the embankment. Branches snapped as it hit the trees, disappearing beneath the leaves and brush. She returned to the woman, testing her responsiveness with a poke of her finger.

Nothing.

Trina scooted to the woman’s feet and grabbed her shoes, dragging her toward the edge before dropping her legs. They fell over the lip, one shoe slipping off and tumbling into the brush. Trina wiped off her hands, grabbing one of the woman’s arms. A mumbled groan drifted along the breeze, but Trina ignored it. She deserved a future. She’d always done everything right. Why should she have to lose everything for one, tiny mistake?

She tugged the body to the edge, giving it a shove once she’d reached the embankment. The woman slid over the lip, sliding into the greenery at the bottom, then vanishing. A numbing haze settled over Trina as she kicked dirt over the pool of blood, leaving nothing but a collection of footprints behind. Then she jumped back in her car and drove off.

Sweat beaded along her brow, slicking her hand on the steering wheel. She tried to calm the pounding of her heart as she continued along the road, refusing to look in her rear-view. After hiking around in the hot sun all day, she wouldn’t be surprised if she’d imagined the whole thing. Just a brief daydream as she drove along the deserted highway. In fact, she felt fairly certain none of it had been real.

The sun blinded her, again, as she took the next corner, turning the view beyond the windshield into pure white light. She tried to cover her eyes, finally blinking through the glare in time to see the railing looming in front of her. She twisted the wheel, but her tires caught in the dirt and she careened over the edge, nothing but the roar of the engine sounding in the darkness.

Trina gasped, opening her eyes as she stood on the sunlight path, the speckled shadows of the leaves making funny patterns on the trail. She ran her hands over her chest as she scanned the area, the memory of the crash slowly fading until she wasn’t quite sure if it had even happened. Squirrels chirped as she made her way back to her car, staring at it parked up the road. Had she left the head lights on?

She shook her head, walking toward it when she noticed a tall, dark-haired man leaning against one of the trees on the far side. He smiled as she stopped at the driver’s side, opening the door then twisting back to face him. Whiskey coloured eyes assessed her every move, the man’s even features accentuating his beauty.

She tilted her head to the side, admiring the way his muscles bunched beneath his clothes. “I’m sorry, but…do I know you?”

The man smiled, and her stomach fluttered. God he was breath-taking. “I don’t believe we’ve ever formally met.”

“You just looked…familiar.”

“I get that a lot. Some people say I look a lot like my older brother, Michael. That I’m the darker version of him.”

“Oh.” She frowned, not sure how to respond. “Do you live around here?”

“I…oversee the area. Ensure things run smoothly.”

“So, you’re a ranger?”

“Something like that. I’m definitely the law.”

“I see.” She shivered as a flash of red gleamed in his eyes before fading.  “Well, have a good day.” She gave him a nod then turned, fiddling with her keys as she tried to unlock the door.

“Thank you. Drive safe. It’d be a shame to crash on such a nice day.”

She froze at the words, spinning around, again, but he’d disappeared. Snippets of memory played in her head, each frame more ghostly than the last until nothing remained but the remembered image of his eyes. Unease prickled along her skin, but she shoved it away, finally slipping behind the wheel again. He was probably another nutcase.

Why are all the handsome ones crazy?

She laughed, starting the engine then driving away. She’d take the long way home—the road that wound through the hills. One last trip before heading back. If only this day could last…forever.

 

And that’s it for me. Sorry this one turned out to be pretty long. In my head it was super short. now go visit the others playing along today…

Bronwyn  |  Jessica   |  Siobhan

 

 

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