//------------------------------//
// A Terrible Accident 
// Story: The Dovahkiin - An Equestrian Prophecy 
// by Rocky Runner 
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So today was the day. The day ahead of yesterday. The day I drove on the highway.

... and it was easy. Naturally, I was quite nervous getting in the car. I would drive through town and then onto the highway. And I did. The whole time the instructor kept telling me that "I was fine" and "You're doing great." I didn't believe her until I finished my drive, nearly perfectly having gone halfway to Lansing and back to town, and finishing off by excellently parking into a spot near some shopping places. It was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and for the first time in that car today I relaxed. I was done.

And then, I realized, it was Tyler's turn.

I can't say I had much time to fret about it. I exited the driver's seat and swapped places with Tyler, who had been in the back. It was when I sat down and closed the door that I started to fret. Already, my mind visualized the horror of watching a semi barrel right into us. For a moment, I feared I was gonna die today.

No, I had to tell myself, everything's going to be fine. You'll see home again today.

So minutes later, we were on the highway again, this time Tyler being the one driving. I was nervous, like usual, at first, but eventually I calmed down and told myself everything was going well after all.

Or, rather, that's what I had told myself before the sky decided to drop the ocean on us. Not literally, of course, but it was no doubt a torrential downpour. Then I started getting scared.

"The weather's just been terrible these last few weeks." The instructor said from her front passenger seat. She received only silence. Silence from me because my head was concerned with other matters, and silence from Tyler because he could hardly see anything.

Despite that, he drove pretty well... for about five minutes. Because then, I noticed a slight screeching sound coming from outside...

I glanced at the instructor, and when I saw the look in her eyes when she turned to Tyler, I knew she had figured out the problem, too.

"You're skidding!" She told him.

Unfortunately for all of us, he didn't take the news very well. He slammed hard on the brakes and turned the wheel, which only made it worse. The car spun a few times before coming to a stop.

Both the instructor and I had to recover from this, and when she did she turned to him and looked like she was going to tear his throat out.

"What was that for?!" She nearly hollered. We never heard his answer.

At that moment, I realized my visualization from earlier hadn't been me depicting the worse case scenario... it had been a vision. And right then, nearly right in front of us, came barreling a semi trick at 71 miles an hour. We all managed a quick scream before impact.

I honestly wish I could say I simply blacked out the instant the truck slammed into the car. I really do. Unfortunately, as I discovered in that very same instant, all those stories I read simply skipped the reality of being rammed by a semi. There's no "and then I blacked out". There's no weird lights you see and then you black out. The reality... I wish upon no one.

The truck, firstly, completely destroyed the front of the car. Then, large chunks of metal, and the truck itself, came right through the vehicle. This all happened faster than the blink of an eye, mind you! The instructor and Tyler were utterly pulverized. Blood everywhere. But it didn't stop there.

The entire front of the car, or what was left of it, came right to me. I had no time to react. First, my feet were impaled by chunks of the front. As were my legs. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, the car erupted into flame. I can't put into words how it felt being burnt alive. Few have lived being burnt alive to describe what it's like. And I can't say I had very long to feel it either. Again, this all happened faster than you can blink.

The last thing I remembered before actually losing consciousness was watching the shards of the front windshield come flying into my face.



Ow.

The very first thing I thought when I regained consciousness. A quite simple phrase used to describe general pain. Really I hadn't expected to think that.

My eyes were still closed, and when I tried to open them I noted that they had hardly budged. Great. Absolutely fantastic. I'm in a freaking coma. I think. Not good.

Next I noticed was a beeping sound. Like... those... something's in a hospital that shows your blood pressure or heart rate or something close to that. Well, that did confirm I was alive... I'd hope.

Among those two things, was another more obvious one. I felt like absolute shit. I ached all over, nothing felt right, my hands and feet were numb, and there was some lump on my butt that I could feel while I laid there, assessing what I could before opening my eyes. Or at least attempting to.

Oh God, how long have I been out? Weeks? Months? Am I just emerging from a coma or something?

I can check one thing off my list of worries; I'm not in a coma. I managed to open my eyes for a brief second, if even only a little bit. I guess I was just incredibly worn out or... something. I dunno, but I still felt like absolute shit. Among the numbness and weird lump on my butt was the feeling that my face was kinda feeling a little off... something wasn't right. Shouldn't where I sniff be higher?

Oh God, I must look awful! Well that's a first: caring what I look like. But I'll admit... I was a bit concerned about that. I may have not been the most attractive guy around, but I didn't want to get worse!

I managed to open my eyes again, and this time kept them that way, granted with some effort. The room I saw around me was your standard hospital room, or what I think a standard hospital room is, and surely enough the beeping machine was to my left. To the left wall was a window with closed shades, preventing me from seeing outward. Probably for the best. To my right, a curtain blocked what must be another side of the room. Hmm, wouldn't be the first time I had a room like this.

Hold on a second though, what was that in the upper portion of my vision? A bandage? That's an odd colored bandage... I didn't think they used bright yellow ones! Aren't they normally a more skin-like color?

I turned my head slightly, and to my surprise the bright yellow bandage bounced a tad. What? Ok, whose the sucker who wrapped my upper head with them? They did a terrible job! They're loose!

I turned my attention to the lower portion of my vision. Right in the middle of it was this... dark... purple... thing. I turned my head slightly and it didn't move. So I also had something stuck in my eye? No... that couldn't be right... I would have noticed something like that. Perhaps the doctor could tell me what was going on?

It probably should have clicked to me instantly what was happening... or rather, what had happened. And what was the case now.