Silence

They were hit nearly head-on, the crash was beautiful and terrifying; time stopped.

Metal twisting, the shrill sound of tires, bits of dark glass scattered everywhere; they played a sad melody as shards rained onto the asphalt. The scent of hot oil and antifreeze filled the air.

Louder than the sound of destruction was the release of air from her lungs as her body was thrown from the car. The sound of the glass cracking as it split from the weight of her. The sound of her body being thrown onto the hood of and the soft thud as she landed on the asphalt; it was too much and soon all he saw was black.

Ears ringing and eyes hardly able to focus he fumbled numb fingers to the seatbelt release. He felt drunk, sick, asleep. An eternity passed as his hands found the handle of the driver side door. Flashes of pain spread over his body, but in his pain drunk stupor his mind focused only on her.

Releasing himself from the prison of his crumpled car, his body fell heavy. The rain-soaked asphalt felt cool against his skin. In and out of consciousness, he crawled to her body as quickly as his pain would allow.

She lay still, her bright red hair a strange contrast against the newly laid road and her rain-soaked body. Her peach skin, sun-kissed with freckles had lost its color. Her warmth was stolen, replaced with a cold wetness unfamiliar to his touch.

He tried calling out to her, his voice lost through the chaos. He knew then, her aura, the bright energy she radiated had been stolen by the night. He watched the light fade from her eyes while he scrambled to hold her. She left him. With a blood stained tear and one last smile, she left him.

He brought his face to hers, desperate to hear breathing, craving her warmth.

Silence.

-A.e.