General Fiction posted February 13, 2024 Chapters:  ...14 15 -16- 17... 


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A Crash on Highway 101

A chapter in the book Life's Twisted Road

Life's Twisted Road - Chap 16

by Begin Again


END OF CHAPTER 15

The sheriff answered his phone. "Jackson here. What's up?"

"Just pulled up on a bad accident on State Highway 101. A semi and two pickup trucks. Called for backup and emergency services. I think you better get out here. It's just past Mile Marker 24." Lucille hesitated before adding, "I recognize Bobby's truck. It's not pretty."

Jackson's eyes shifted to Audrey as he asked, "Any casualties?"

"I'm just getting out of my car now, but I'd be surprised if there weren't."

Jackson turned on his lights and siren and backed into the street. "I'm on my way."

Audrey standing on the curb flashed through his head. She'd looked so sad and miserable. "What if—"

************************




CHAPTER 16

Officer Lucille Lakewood had never been the first person to arrive at an accident, especially one as critical as this one. The semi was jack-knifed blocking the entire road. Bits and pieces of its shattered windshield lay scattered among papers and other items that had been ejected from the cab.

The crumpled pickup truck lay in the ditch on its side. Knowing the truck belonged to someone she knew, whether for better or worse, she was immediately drawn to it. The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears as she nervously peered into what remained of Bobby's truck. She hadn't expected two bodies.

Neither was moving. A chill ran up and down Lucille's spine. She felt like she had stepped into a snapshot, an ugly scene, but not real, just frozen in time. It was eerily quiet except for a dog barking in the distance. She tried to shake off the creepy feeling.

Bobby's distorted face was unrecognizable. His torso was twisted away from his bloody head. An oddly shaped metal rod, most likely projected from the bed of the truck and through the cab, protruded from his chest. His shirt was soaked in blood.

At first look, Judy appeared to have fared far better. A similar rod pierced her arm and pinned her to the seat. Glass particles peppered her skin. A trickle of blood ran from her nose, blending with her ruby-red lipstick. Dirt particles covered her face, either from the floorboards when they rolled or from the ground outside. Lucille couldn't reach inside to check for a pulse.

She stepped back and sucked in a gulp of air. Her stomach was preparing for the Olympic tryouts, doing flips that would give Simone Biles a run for the money.

She could hear the sirens in the distance but doubted they needed to rush. Yet, though she hadn't seen any movement, she still needed to check the semi-driver. She told herself that miracles do happen as she approached the big rig.

The front end of the semi was twisted metal. Smoke drifted from under the remaining pieces of the hood. The engine resembled a smashed tin can, expelling weird hisses and pops. Oil, antifreeze, and water sizzled and spilled onto the pavement.

The driver's door was open. Afraid of what she might see, Lucille stood on her toes and looked inside. The cab was empty. She gasped and spun around, scanning the area. Where was the driver? She hadn't seen anyone lying on the ground. How had she missed him?

The first rescue team and a firetruck pulled up next to Lucille's vehicle. She hurried toward them, screaming and pointing, "There are two people in the pickup truck. The semi-driver is missing."

Jackson's vehicle screeched to a stop behind Lucille's car with three other squad cars following closely behind. Wasting no time, they all raced toward Lucille and the crash site.

Her words tumbled out of her mouth, screechy like a McCaw. "It's awful, Jackson. Just awful." Even to her ears, she sounded more like a scared child. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started again. Calmer and more in control. "Bobby's got some kind of a spear through his chest. Judy's not as bad, but she's unconscious and not moving. And I can't find the semi-driver."

Jackson rattled off orders like a firing machine gun. It wasn't his first crash scene. "Somebody get the road blocked off. Hank, double-check the cab. The driver might have crawled into the sleeper or under the truck. Tony, you and Pete check the ditch. Maybe he tried to get away from his rig. The paramedics are on Bobby's truck."

Lucille's face was drained of color. Jackson understood how she felt. He patted her shoulder as he tried to bolster her spirits. "Good job, Officer. How about you and I check out the barking dog? Maybe his owner saw the crash." He wanted to give her a moment to regroup.

As they hurried to the other side of the road, Jackson noticed fresh skid marks and deep tire ruts in the grass leading to a drop-off. Boulders, big and small, dotted the landscape as it sloped downhill to a ravine. The sound of water mingled between the loud yaps coming from below. Moving around one of the larger rocks, Jackson leaned forward and looked down into the ravine.

"Oh my God!" He raced back to the edge of the road, waving his arms and yelling. "Over here. There's another truck in the ravine. Get somebody down there."

Lucille cringed. "Jackson, isn't that the young man's truck?"

He nodded his affirmation.


******************************


Ropes were lowered over the drop off and several firefighters scaled the rocky terrain to the bottom. Dion's truck sat nose down. The murky water tinted with gasoline sloshed against the tires as it swirled around the truck.

Al, the first responder to reach the Dodge pickup truck, yelled to the others, "The driver's not here." Standing next to the cab, he reached inside. "But we've got some packets of white powder floating around. Looks like a kid high on drugs might have caused this mess."

"Grab them for evidence and get out of there, Al." The second man pointed at the back of the truck. "There's sparks underneath the rear end and it's leaking gas."

For a moment, both men were distracted by a limping German Shepherd on the slope, repeatedly barking, then disappearing, only to return.

"Al, we gotta get out of here but watch out for that dog. He might be trained to attack trespassers."

"I don't think so. He's not trying to attack. It's like he's trying to get our attention. Maybe the driver crawled up there."

The slope was slippery, so the two men exited the water and moved away from the truck on hands and knees.

Kaboom!

A fireball and billowing black smoke filled the ravine, rising upward between the trees. The truck exploded. Pieces of metal and rubber shot through the air. The two men lay flat, their hands clutching their helmets as debris pummeled their backs.

A black cloud of ashes and debris spread across the area. Everyone began coughing, but Jackson's mind was on the firefighters below. It was impossible to see them. He leaned over and called out to the men, "Are you okay? Are either of you hurt?"

No one responded. He yelled again, "You guys okay?"

Al was the first to recover. Coughing, he wiped his eyes, checking for his partner. Assured that they were both fine, he waved his arm, calling out, "We're good, but check that dog out. I think he's trying to tell us something."

*******************

Thirty minutes later, Austin sat inside an ambulance while Roscoe licked his face. A medic attended to the many cuts on his face and arms. His jeans were muddy and wet, but salvageable. His flannel shirt would never be the same.

Dion, alert but in critical shape, and Judy, unconscious but breathing on a ventilator, were raced to the hospital. Both their lives hung in a balance.

Bobby was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jackson climbed inside the ambulance, petted Roscoe, and smiled. "I think this guy is the hero of the day."

Austin chuckled, "Yeah, he sure is. He did a good job letting you know where we were. I was flat-out exhausted after dragging the kid out of the water and up the hill. I couldn't move another inch."

"Yeah, you probably saved his life." Jackson rubbed his hands against his legs. "Can't say the same for the people in the other truck."

"Heard the woman was still alive. I thought for sure they were both dead when I checked on them. That's why Roscoe and I headed down the cliff, hoping to save the other driver."

Another paramedic stood outside the ambulance's rear door. "Sorry, Sheriff, but we need to get him to the hospital. He needs to be checked out, though he appears to be doing pretty good."

"Of course, I'll get out of your way." He turned back to Austin. "You take care. I'll need to get your statement later, but gotta make sure you're good." As he jumped out of the vehicle, he turned and asked, "What about Roscoe? Want me to take him until you're cleared?"

Austin ruffled Roscoe's fur. A hint of sadness filled his eyes. "Okay, pal. I've gotta take a little trip. You stay with the sheriff. He'll take good care of you."

Roscoe patted his bandaged paw against Austin's leg, then nuzzled his owner as if he were saying goodbye. "I know, boy. Now go." Austin pointed at the door.

The German Shepherd jumped to the ground and sat at attention, next to Jackson as the ambulance pulled away. "Come on, Roscoe. I'm going to need your support."

Once inside his cruiser, Jackson headed toward town. He needed to deliver the news about Bobby to Audrey before anyone else did. It wasn't the evening he had planned. He'd told other families about the loss of loved ones, but this time was different. He was about to break his girlfriend's heart.



Recognized


CHARACTERS:
ISABELLA - Natasha's grandmother
DION - Star quarterback and Jason's best friend
GABBY - Jason's girlfriend and best friends with Natasha and Becky
BOBBY - Gabby's father
AUDREY - Bobby's sister and Gabby's Aunt
JUDY -THE BLONDE - Bobby's drinking date for the day
PADDY -THE JOGGER - A nice older Irish gentleman
AMANDA - Paddy's wife
LUCILLE LAKEWOOD - one of the arresting officers
CHARLIE - Department Manager for the Sheriff
JACKSON - the sheriff and the man dating Bobby's sister, Audrey
JUAN - Local pool boy and behind the scenes drug supplier
AUSTIN - semi driver and owner of Roscoe
ROSCOE - Austin's co-pilot, a German Shepherd
AL - a firefighter at the scene
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