Chapter 1: The Impact
334 words
The digital clock on the dashboard flickered: 2:15 AM. My eyes burned, the lids heavy with the residue of a double shift that barely covered last month’s heating bill. I rubbed my temples, the smell of diner grease clinging to my uniform like a second skin. All I wanted was sleep.
The traffic light ahead turned green. I eased my foot onto the gas of my fifteen-year-old sedan, the engine sputtering a tired protest. I was halfway through the intersection when the world exploded.
A blur of silver metal tore through the quiet night, defying the red light on the cross street. The impact was deafening—a crunch of steel against steel that vibrated through my bones. My car spun violently, tires screeching against asphalt, before slamming into the guardrail. The airbag deployed with the force of a punch, snapping my head back.
Silence followed, broken only by the hiss of steam and the frantic rhythm of my own heart. Pain radiated from my neck down to my spine, a hot, searing line of agony. My hands shook uncontrollably as I tried to unbuckle the jammed seatbelt. I gasped for air, panic tightening my chest. I needed emergency medical help, but my phone was somewhere on the floorboard, lost in the shattered glass.
"Please," I whispered, the word scraping my throat.
Through the spiderwebbed cracks of my windshield, I saw the other vehicle—a sleek, silver Pagani, untouched except for a scuff on the bumper. The driver’s door opened vertically, like a wing.
A man stepped out. He was tall, dressed in a suit that cost more than my life’s earnings. He didn't look at my crushed car. He didn't check if I was breathing. He walked to the front of his sports car, inspected the paint, and let out a loud, annoyed sigh. He pulled out his phone, tapping the screen with casual indifference as I quietly prayed, realizing I would need a car accident lawyer I couldn't afford.
End of Chapter 1
