Going Gray Read Online Free PDF Page A

rearview mirror with the back of her head. A flash of lightning filled her vision, and she sensed that they were spinning. Breathing was no longer an option. Her chest felt crushed by some unseen pressure. Everything around her dimmed, until the inside of the car was gone.

III
     
    THE LAST MILE
     

    Emily blinked her eyes, d azed, seeing only simple cloudy apparitions. Blood filled her mouth, replacing the chemical burn in the back of her throat. Her head throbbed, echoing her heartbeat, louder than she thought was possible. When she tried to move, her stomach rolled, and threatened to spill. She gulped, resisting the urge to vomit. Pain awoke in her arm next, making her vividly remember what had happened. They’d been hit. Another car must have hit them. She turned her head. Her brother’s car seat was empty.
    “Justin!” she called out, but her voice sounded muffled. “Justin, buddy?” She fell forward onto the floor and screamed. Burning pain pulsed through her side in sharp waves. The pain was bad, but she breathed past it, and turned to find her brother.
    She blinked away the blood in her eyes, maneuvered her head and shoulders up onto the seat, and saw that she’d cracked the windshield. She shook her head, trying to clear it. Her heart raced, pounding; she could feel it clearly right down to her fingers and toes. Gradually the sounds returned. An endless car horn whittled its way past the ringing in her ears. It was from another car, must have gotten jammed in the crash.
    Emily pressed her hand against the floor, finding their car’s engine was still running. But her relief was cut short when a horrific thought occurred to her. She turned back to the windshield just in time to see the blank eyes of a black plastic bag skitter over the car, carried away by the fog. Dread filled her. She reached up a weak fist, rapped it on the dashboard, waited.
    “Mom!” she called out over the other car’s horn. “Mom, can you hear me? Knock on the side of the car!”
    “Mommy.” It was Justin’s whimper, from somewhere in the back. Thank God. Biting down on her lip to control the pain, Emily crawled over the seat. She found him on the floor, bundled up like a tight knot. He’d never opened the car door. Surely if he had, he’d be dead. The car accident had saved his life.
    His eyes were large with fright, taking in the chaos around him. A tear saddled one eye, while wet remains of another ran to his chin. He held his thumb in his mouth, but his lips pouted and shook when he reached out to hold his big sister. The sight made a lump form in her throat, and she choked back a sob as she wrapped her arms around his small body. For a moment, brother and sister just clung to each other, a tiny pocket of warmth in this cold new world. When she pulled back, his face was blurred, and she had to blink away the emotion.
    “Need you to help me, okay?” she asked, and saw him flinch as a spatter of blood hit his face. Blood filled her mouth, which she quickly spat out. “Can you help me?”
    A hot ache had begun to consume her side, pulsating from a rib that she thought might be broken. She guided Justin back to his car seat, taking care to check him for injuries. Pushing hair back from his somber face, she’d found only a small cut, a bump rising and already turning a painful black and blue. Being small has its advantages , she thought, and then buckled him back into his car seat.
    “Here,” she said, pulling his thumb up for him to grab. “You hold on to this for me.” Her plan to make him laugh didn’t work, and he dropped his hands back down.
    “Where’s Mommy?” he asked. His eyes were large, glancing around, searching. “Your phone?”
    Emily had forgotten about her phone, and reached around to find it. Her heart lifted when she saw two messages waiting for her. But they were older, many minutes older, and she wondered if she’d been knocked out. She grabbed the back of her head, finding the spot where it had