The night was dark and ominous. Clouds rolled over the sky blocking out any of the moon's light. Thunder boomed in the distance as a storm drew near. The two young girls chatted easily between themselves although every now and then the driver's voice was etched with tension when she heard a thunderous roar.
At 17, Sandra was glad to have a car to get her around. She had begged, pleaded and had gotten a job to make the payments on her small hunk of metal. The 1998 Jeep Wrangler got her to where she needed to be whether that was out on the town or her crap job of washing dishes. Right now she was talking to her best friend Bethany about one of the guys at the party they had just left.
"Johnny is so hot." Sandra said to Bethany. "Not bad for a white guy, I guess." Bethany replied with nonchalance. "You got something against him being white?" Sandra asked a bit astonished. She had never known Bethany to be one to say anything about the color of skin. Bethany was white as a ghost and Sandra happened to be the darkest ebony color found on the planet. "Nah, I was just teasing you." Bethany said before staring out the window.
Bethany was watching the passing trees out the window. She could almost make them out if she squinted her eyes a little. The darkness was spooking her. She felt goose bumps prick up her arms without thinking she started rubbing them away. Turning to glance at Sandra she noticed her friend jump slightly when another thunder cloud boomed overhead.
Suddenly the rain started. A torrential downpour of water pounded on the jeep. Thankfully the hardtop was up so they would stay dry but the sound of water pounding the roof was nerve racking. Keeping good control of the car Sandra slowed down a little because of the rain. She was aware of how dangerous hydroplaning across a highway could be after all her mother was killed in a storm just like this one. Blocking out that thought completely because it only brought sadness Sandra gripped the wheel a little tighter.
Bethany whispered "You okay?" Sandra nodded and Bethany accepted that she needed silence to concentrate on the storm. Trusting her friend completely to get her home safe Bethany leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes. It was a fun party and she finally kissed Teddy so she started daydreaming about the next time they would meet. Her lips quirked in a smile as she thought about his dark skin and deep brown eyes he was definitely a specimen any woman would think of has hot. He did say something odd to her this evening though. She remembered vaguely that it was important. She had a few beers although she knew she shouldn't have. Something Teddy said bothered her but right now she could not place what he said at all. All her thoughts were leading back to his lips touching hers and the electric that singed through them.
The screech of the tires being gripped by brakes and sloshing through water jolted her out of the daydream. Just as her eyes opened she saw the tree and the reason for the noise. The thunder crashed around the little jeep and lightning singed the skies. Deep, ragged spikes of electricity were bouncing off water and trees illuminating the sky for only a few seconds at a time. Time seemed slowed as she watched the tree approach. The sound of the tires squealing became louder and more persistent but she could not look away.
Sandra's hands gripped the wheel as she swerved to avoid the tree that had fallen in her path. The brakes screeched and seemed to echo after the thunder. Death was approaching. She knew it. In her heart of hearts she knew there was no way to avoid the fallen tree. It was too big, she was going to fast. Before she the initial impact she looked at Bethany with wide, scared eyes "I love you Beth I'm Sorry" The words came out softly yet held truth. Then the jeep hit the tree.
The scrapping sound of branches, the crunching of metal as the front end hit the giant trunk filled the girl's ears. Bethany remembered what he said "I'll see you in heaven." She remembered this was odd but she assumed he meant her dreams because he could be such a sweet talker. The glass shattered in front of her, the sharp stinging of the glass slapping at her face and hands as they flew up. As quick as the sounds came they were gone and then there was nothing.
Sandra heard Bethany's scream when the glass broke and then nothing. The jeep was not done moving yet. It hit then flipped over crushing things not meant to be crushed. Wetness seeped over her face. The steering wheel was in her chest and her hands were caught just under it. Her legs were crushed beneath and her head seemed tilted the wrong way. Then it was done. She was upside down and the jeep had finally stopped. Tears and blood flowed down her face. "Think" she told herself. "Beth... Beth..." she chanted but there was no answer.
"Help...Help...HELP!" She chanted getting louder with each effort although her mind kept fuzzing out. Closing her eyes she slept without meaning to. Her dream was odd and distorted. Something about an accident but she could not remember what. Her mind kept telling her to wake up but all she wanted to do was sleep.
The volunteer firemen were the first on the scene. They saw the downed tree and were called because it landed on a power line. They did not see the jeep at first. Johnny the boy from the party that Sandra liked was amongst the volunteers on duty that night. He got to work as quickly as possible taking his job very seriously for an 18 year old. He assessed the situation with a practiced grace and then went over it again as any fireman would do. This is done in seconds for a fire. Treating every situation as dire got him though his life thus far.
Although the youngest on the team he was the sharpest and often the older men referred to him. Johnny got everyone designated when he heard something odd. It was like a tickle in the back of his head telling him something was wrong. Looking at the tree again while holding a giant flash light to it he figured out what was wrong. Head light shards were imbedded in the tree. Running to the spot he hoisted himself up to see over. The jeep sat about 100 yards away facing the wrong way and upside down.
Racing to it as he radioed for back up he started calling out to see if anyone was alive. The wreck was awful but jeeps are tough vehicles so he held out some hope. Flashing the lights around the vehicle he saw an arm dangling out what would have been the passenger's side. The arm was mauled with gashes and the hand was missing two fingers. Reach out to touch the pulse he was yelling "Anyone alive? Talk to me if you are. Help is here!" but as he touched the soft spot on the wrist he knew this passenger had passed on.
Moving around the vehicle as quickly as possible while being diligent in looking for other passengers he came to the driver's side door which was pushed in at an awkward angle. Seeing the driver's head tilted to the side he yelled again. This time he watched the eyes to see if there was any response. Sandra's eyes fluttered but they did not open. "She's alive" a voice inside his head screamed. Yelling to his team to bring the Jaws of Life the paramedics showed up along with the police.
The giant cutters known as the Jaws of Life were used by Johnny and another from his team to wrench the door open. The sound of the Jaws cutting though the steel curdled the blood but it was important to get the people out dead or alive. Teddy, Bethany's current flame, was the other one manning the Jaws. The door fell off and Johnny jumped in to pull out the girl in the driver's seat. Being as careful as possible he slid the girl into his arms before coming slowly out the door, all the while screaming for the paramedics to get over to him. Teddy reached in to get the passenger's side open. When a sudden flare of lightening reared up and hit a few feet away from the Jeep the faces of the girls in the jeep glowed. Sadness welled up inside the boys but they beat away those feelings knowing they had to act quickly.
Getting the girls just outside the sound of crashing thunder came again. This time the rains started pouring again hard and fast. Suddenly there was light so blinding as a streak of lightening hit the center of the overturned Jeep. Picking up the girls the boys started to run but it was too late. The next sound was an explosion so loud it deafened them all.
It is said that not all the body parts of the 4 teenagers was found although workers and volunteers looked for days and weeks after the freak storm that hit highway 62 on a late Friday night.