Tally’s body was scrunched up like she had been put in a cardboard box as a gift to somebody at Christmas time. Her right arm was trapped under someone else’s body, but she was unable to move her neck to see. Her legs were trapped between her own seat and the passenger’s seat in front – somehow the car seats had been moved closer together. Something was jabbing at her right hip, but she was unable to see anywhere but ahead. She was in pain; her whole body was aching. She wanted to scream. Her mouth wouldn’t move; her throat wouldn’t even allow for her to let out a quiet moan. Surely the crash had been enough, though? Everything happened so fast, but she was sure the crash had been loud – louder than the fireworks they’d set off that night. Someone’s phone was ringing, and she wanted so badly to reach and get it, but she was too encased in the scrunched up car to be able to move. She’d always heard about stories of not being able to feel; of the adrenalin taking over and your body ending up with no sensations whatsoever. That was bulls**t. She was feeling every last ache and pain in explicit detail. Every piece of glass that was embedded in her skin, she felt. The worst was the flies. There were several of them, at least five or six, hovering around her bloody face, and who knows where else. She wanted to cry so badly. She wanted to scream for help, to turn to her boyfriend and say “I told you so!”, but the pain was excruciating. She could barely move her eyeballs, let alone yell at her unconscious boyfriend. There was something digging into her gum – probably glass. Her own fault, really; what was screaming going to do? “Oh hey, there’s a truck coming toward us, and you’re still going 180kms an hour... if I scream, do you think it will get your attention time to swerve out of the way?”
The driver may have sounded his horn, Tally wasn’t exactly clear on the details. She thought she’d heard something, but how could she be sure? Everything was rushing around inside of her head, and it was so clear – the only thing that confused her, was the horn. Had the other driver given them a warning? The music was so loud, and everyone was singing along; even if there had been a horn sounded, there is no way Devon would have heard it. Katie? Katie? KATIE? Tally was repeating the girls name over, and over, perhaps if she said it enough times in her head, she’d somehow will herself to say it aloud. There was a thick metal pole next to her, it was squashing her fingers against something; she couldn’t see far enough to make it out. She was waiting for the sirens, but they didn’t seem to be coming.