LYRA*
I heard Vega call out to Jace before the line went dead. My head was bleeding; blood trickled down my chin, my whole left side hurt something awful. The airbag wasn't going down, so I was starting to get claustrophobic. I was trapped, and I couldn't move. It was a horrible feeling. I needed Vega to call me back so that I wouldn't start to panic.
The next thing I knew, someone was knocking lightly on my window. I glanced up to see a woman with concern flashed on her features.
"Hello Miss, I'm from the car behind you; I wanted to check on you real fast and let you know that help is on the way. My head had started to pound, so her voice was killing me.
"I'm ok. I'm pinned between the door and the steering wheel. I'll be ok," I said as loudly as I could.
"Ok, help will be here soon. I'm going to check on the others. We have quite the pile up on our hands." She said as she ran up the ramp. I looked up and could see that several people had gotten out of their cars and were all conversing with one another; I wished I could be free.
I must have hit my head hard because my vision had begun to cloud over.
"Incoming call from Vegas cell, Incoming call from Vegas cell." It's so loud. I pushed the phone button to answer.
"Lyra, we're almost there. Has help arrived yet?" Vega screamed into the phone. She was wreaking havoc on my pounding head.
" No, but they should be here soon. Can you whisper? My heads pounding?" I said.
"What is your situation?" Vega asked.
"I had my left foot up, on the cup holder on the door, and my left elbow was resting on my knee. So my leg and arm are pinned between the steering wheel and the door. I think I've broken both my arm and leg. Both hurt pretty badly. I hit my head, and I'm bleeding, my head is pounding, and my vision is getting blurry." I whispered.
"Oh no," Vega whimpered. I could hear her sniff, and I knew she was crying.
I heard sirens coming from a distance, and Vega and I both sighed in relief. I wished I could pass out right about now. My whole left side was in unimaginable pain, and my head, oh goodness.
"I love you, Vega," I whispered.
"Oh God, Jace, hurry up. Lyra, you're going to be fine. Help has arrived. I love you too," Vega cried.
I closed my eyes and hoped that when I opened them again, the fog would be gone. The next thing I knew, someone had tapped on the window. I looked up to see two identical twin firefighters. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, they merged into one.
"I'm going to break the back window and come in through the back to assist you. Hang tight, ok. I've got you," He said. Then I heard Vega yelling.
"That's my sister in that car; please let me through. I need to be with her. LYRA, LYRA, I'm here. Please let me through," Vega cried.
"Ma'am, you can't go over there. They have to have space to work."
"But she needs me," Vega cried. She still had her phone on, and the whole conversation blared inside my car, which made my head pound even more.
"Vega, damn it, stop screaming," I yelled.
"Shit, I'm so sorry, Lyra. I love you. I'm going to let you go now so I can call dad and talk to the paramedics," Vega rushed, and the line went dead.
At that time, the firefighter smashed the window. I heard the back door open, and I listened to shards of glass hit the ground. Then I heard him scooting along the back seat; he appeared in my review mirror.
"I'm here; I'm right behind you. Can you tell me your name, please?" He asked.
"Uh, Lyra Riley, and you, sir," I slurred out. He clasped a neck brace around my neck and then held my head steady while he popped the airbag. Oh, thank God for that; I could finally breathe.
"I'm Jacob O'Donnell, ma'am. Do you know what has happened and where you are, Lyra?" Jacob asked.
Bloody hell, get me out. I glared at him but winced in pain instead, and he caught the sight in the mirror.
"You've hit your head Lyra, and I need to ask these questions real fast, ok," Jacob said quietly. Oh, he's trying to assess if I have brain damage. I know how this goes in the movies.
"I'm in West Texas, and I have lived here my whole life. I am Twenty-one years old. I have a twin sister Vega, and she was the one yelling earlier. Um, the year is 2012. I'm a psych major," I slurred out slowly and winced in pain.
I heard a commotion going on all around me outside, and I wanted to look to see what was going on, but I couldn't move my head due to the neck brace. Jacob saw me rolling my eyes to the left, and as if he knew what I was thinking said.
"They have to move the cars out of the way that was behind you so that we can get you out."
Oh my goodness, was he going to leave? I don't want to be left alone here.
"Please, please don't leave me in here by myself; I can't move. I'm broken, and I'm pretty sure I'm about to pass out; my head hurts so bad, I'm so scared," I cried as I looked at Jacob through the mirror; tears streamed down my cheeks.
"Someone get me a towel, please," he hollered out the door. Moments later, Jacob cleaned the blood and tears from my face. "I'm not going to leave you, Lyra. I'll stay right here with you." Jacob said.
Someone walked up. "I need to check her vitals. Can I switch places with you for a second?"
At that time, someone was trying to pry open the door. My eyes went wide in horror. "Hold on, wait a minute, let me check her vitals and get her secured in here first; she's got several injuries. I'm not leaving you, ok," Jacob said.
"Give it to me, and I'll do it," Jacob said. My eyes fluttered and closed due to heaviness. "Lyra, open your eyes, look at me. You've got to stay awake," I heard him, and I tried to; I couldn't, I moaned in aggravation.
"It hurts. I'm trying; I can't." I said.
"Keep talking to me then; ok, stay awake, don't go to sleep," Jacob said as he wrapped a blood pressure cuff on my right arm and placed two fingers on my wrist. "It's too low; we need to get her out now," he yelled out to the EMT. "I'm going to get her left side secured. You guys get ready and let her sister go with her; go around and tell the guys I'm ready, will you? I don't want to frighten her." Jacob yelled.
"How long have I been stuck like this? I whispered; my eyes finally fluttered and opened.
Jacob had been busy trying to get his arm in place to catch my arm and leg once the door sprung free, but he looked up into the mirror for a few seconds to let me know it's been over thirty minutes. Meaning I've been pinned here, for what, almost an hour.
"Whhhhhhhaaaaaattttttt?" I slurred.
"I'm ready," Jacob yelled.
"Ok, Lyra, the door wouldn't open on its own; they will be using the jaws of life ok, don't be afraid," Jacob said into the mirror. My eyes fluttered and closed, and everything faded into darkness. "LYRA, LYRA, come back to me, you can't.....LYRA," I could hear Jacob, but I couldn't get past the darkness. The pain was gone; I think I'll stay here.
VEGA*
I've been standing here for thirty minutes. I knew this was crazy; it's a twin thing. I could feel Lyra's pain; stabs of pain randomly shot down my left side now and then. Let's not get started on what's going on with my head. Jace had held me up as I cried. I called my dad; he and my mom were both at the Covenant emergency room, dealing with all of the trauma. It's all hands on deck over there.
I've seen the ambulances take several victims of this hit and run to various hospitals. There were over ten cars piled up on the loop. It made sense; everyone around here was always in a hurry to get somewhere, but my sister was at the point of it all; Lyra was the only one trapped. They won't let me go to her. Now and then, someone updated me on what was going on. Wrecker trucks removed one car and then another; until finally, the last vehicle was released.
Finally, I could breathe until I heard the fireman inside her car crying out to her. All of a sudden, I felt at peace. It didn't seem right. At that moment, they had pried the car door open. I watched as they carefully put Lyra on a stretcher. The fireman was on top of her pumping her chest. He looked over at me, and I ran over to them.