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protruded from his sleeve. His shoe was wedged beneath his neck. A terrible odor like a rotten outhouse filled the interior of the car. I gagged, my body convulsed, and I vomited. Hanging upside down. I wiped the puke from my face, but it was in my nose, on my eyelids, and in my hair.
    I glanced toward the back seat. “Lily!” No reaction at all. Black smoke billowed in through Lily’s open window and blew into her mouth, as if she’d pulled in a breath of air. More smoke swirled in and out of Jordan’s mouth. At first I assumed it was from the smoldering engine, but then little demon-like eyes took shape from the swelling smoke. I started screaming. The cloud of darkness came closer to me, and I covered my mouth and closed my eyes. A tickle scratched across my skin, and my hair danced against my face. Tears flooded my eyes and ran down my forehead into my hair. I bit my lips together. And then I peed myself. The warm, fragrant urine spread across my shorts, and I realized in that moment I’d lost control of everything. Nothing would ever be the same again.
    After an eternity of crying, I heard muffled voices outside. They came closer and yelled to each other.
    “Call for an ambulance!”
    “She’s alive!”
    “We have to get them out before they burn!”
    And a man said, “This one’s already dead.”
    Someone touched me through my open window. A woman’s voice said, “It’s going be okay. We’re going get you out.” She slipped her fingers under my hand, which still covered my mouth, and clutched it in hers. I relaxed my rigid muscles and stared at her. She was upside down. Everything was. “My name is Laura. Can you tell me yours?”
    “Hannah,” I whispered.
    “We’re going to help you, Hannah. Do you hurt anywhere?”
    Everywhere. But before I answered someone pushed her out of the way and reached toward me with long, slender, hairy arms. He used a pocketknife to cut my seat belt, and I fell to the ceiling. My head and shoulder took the brunt of the fall. I heard Laura in the distance tell him to be careful.
    “We have to hurry if we want to save any of them. When that fire reaches the gas tank, this whole thing will explode,” he yelled back to her. Someone on the other side cut Lily’s belt.
    “Is Lily okay?” I whispered. No one answered. I tried to yell, but my voice failed me. What about Manny? He was my best friend in the world. What about Jordan?
    The man tugged me through the window, lifted me, and hauled me away. He propped me on the side of the road against a truck, and then he ran back to the Mazda.
    The driver’s side was dented and contorted. Flames licked out from the engine, and the mangled blue hood dangled to the side. Black smoke rolled out and up. A breeze fanned the smoke into the main part of the car. The hatchback lid hung open, and the pink elephant lay on its side several feet away from the bumper.
    The three strangers coughed and covered their faces with their shirts. Another man ran over to me, clutching Lily. He set her next to me and returned to the burning car.
    “I can’t get him out,” one man hollered. “His leg is pinned.”
    The breeze shifted, and the black smoke blew away from the fire. I saw through the driver’s side window that Manny was still in the front seat. The flames shot higher into the sky. They left Manny and worked to rescue Jordan.
    Tears blurred my vision. “Help Manny!” I tried to yell, but my coarse voice came out as a whisper. “Help Manny!” I pleaded. With great effort, I lifted myself up, and stumbled toward them. An explosion from the engine rocked the car. The fire doubled in size. The people staggered away from the blast.
    “Help Manny!” I yelled.
    Laura turned around. “Stay back!” She ran to me, grabbed my arm, and angled me away from the accident. I strained against her, but I was too weak.
    “Manny,” I said. “He’s in the front seat.” I peered over my shoulder. The two men tugged Jordan out and dragged him a