by Trenia Coleman

     When Benny discovered the back window shattered on the car, his mind started racing as he began to put the puzzle together. He reached the driver’s door and saw Jayla slumped over the steering wheel. His heart stopped as he watched her lifeless body in disbelief. Benny examined the car before attempting to open the door and knew that the only thing keeping the car from rolling down the hill was a small pine tree. As he gently squeezed the door handle, he peered through the window at her. He wondered if he was staring at his first dead body since taking a leave of absence. He prayed he was not too late.
     Benny immediately pulled the emergency brake up hoping this would buy him some time. As he felt for a pulse, he noticed the cooling of her skin. He knew it was dangerous to move her but necessary to check for any head or facial damage. He reached for her arm and noticed the blood-soaked sock on her injured arm. He felt for a pulse, and it took him awhile to locate it. Finally, there was an extremely weak pulse, and he thanked God. He gently pulled her head away from the steering wheel and saw the face of an angel. She was young and beautiful and had a few bruises on her forehead. The full moon allowed him to examine the contents in the car. Looking across to the passenger seat, he saw the contents dumped out onto the seat as if someone was looking for something. Then he spotted the bat and decided not to touch anything, not wanting to disturb any evidence that may have been there. She was still alive, but barely. He took his warm-up jacket off and placed it over her. He knew it wasn’t much, but at the time it was better than what she had. Benny knew he had to hurry since moving her was not an option. He gently closed the door wanting to keep her warm and safe from the elements. He quickly raced up the hill looking back only once at the car, knowing his speed and clear mind was the only thing that was going to save her. He raced for the truck again, and this time he didn’t feel the tightening in his legs as he pedaled even faster than before. Benny’s heart was racing, and he’d already figured out a course of action to take to save this girl’s life. He had to decide which action to take first: use the pay phone to call information for Carl’s number and have him call the EMTs or take a chance and go to the truck to retrieve the number and the blanket in the back of his truck for the girl. He chose the truck and blanket. His truck was only a few hundred yards from the accident scene, and he covered that distance in no time as he coached himself in the process.
     When he reached the truck, he went straight for the back of the truck where he found the blanket and in his briefcase the business card holder with Carl’s contact numbers. He grabbed a couple of baggies and disposable gloves out of his briefcase and stuck them in his pocket. Before he jumped back on the bike, he grabbed his cell phone off the dash and waited in the middle of the street; he discovered what he already knew would happen—no signal. He threw the blanket over his shoulders, jammed the phone, and business card into his shirt pocket. He’d forgotten all about the bracelet until he heard the clinging when he placed his phone in his pocket. He wondered if it belonged to the girl in the car.