Accident

Jason looks up quickly, a look of surprise crossing his face. "Sapphire..."

Camryn smiles, her eyes bright. "Hi! Long time no see." She cocks her head and shrugs. "I'm alright. Just catching up on old times. I'm back in the area for a while again."

Jason can feel a little bit of heat in his face. He wasn't suer why. It didn't matter that he was here with Camryn. He just hadn't expected to see anybody else that was all.

Camryn glances to Gage. "And this is...?"

"Gage," Jason answers her. "He's..." Well, what was he? A friend? From TJY? A ward? A... what?"

Gage gives Jason a knowing look and finishes his sentence for him. "...going to look for a table." He'd rather not try and figure ouot how to be introduced today. The most he deserved was to be called an enemy. He shifts his gaze to give Sapphire a sidelong glance before slipping away, a few tables down.

Camryn seems a little confused by the odd behavior, but she says nothing. "And you?" She asks Sapphire. "How are you?"




Jeff takes his glass of juice and eases down at one of the tables, feeling a lot more tired than he should from his short trip. "Yeah," he muses. "Katie's big heart is why everybody loves her... and it's why she gets hurt too. I guess it goes both ways."

Taking a sip from his glass, he closes his eyes a moment, letting a wave of nausea and pain pass. He needed to go find Katie. He wasn't looking forward to having to explain himself multiple times on the way though, with as many people as he'd probably meet while trying to find her.

Luck is with him though, and the door opens, revealing Katie coming in before lunchtime. Waiting until she was closer, Jeff looks up from the table, letting a smile spread. "Hey, Kiddo."




Kyle had been on the bus for the last hour as the team had a meeting on their way to their next stopover. It was a little past dark, and they would have supper when they stopped. It was a good thing - the whole team was hungry after barely having time for lunch after their morning event. On to the next town to try and get some sleep before the next day's event.

Kyle shifts back in his seat, closing his eyes. He had wanted to ride with Alice on this last leg, but he knew Jordan wouldn't let him get away with missing the meeting.

Receiving a pillow in the face from Chloe, rest is forgotten, and a pillow fight ensues, sending laughter throughout the bus. The only one unable to join in was Jordan, behind the wheel.

As they head down the interstate, the bus slows slightly to take a curve. Beside them was a semi, trying to pass. Jordan frowns, grumbling to himself about the driver not giving him enough room.

What happens next was too fast for anyone to remember until much later. Three cars ahead, a tire is blown. The car goes out of control, swerving as the brakes are hit. Another car manages to swerve around them, but the next slams into it head-on. Jordan slams on the brakes. The truck beside them, however, tries to turn, the driver paying no attention to who was beside them. A sickening crack comes next as the bus is jostled violently to the side. The impact causes the bus to turn at a sharp angle, onto the shoulder of the road. Momentum does the rest, and the bus is suddenly no longer on its wheels.

Everything inside the bus is turned inside out as the vehicle tips onto its side, skidding off the shoulder and into the deep ditch. Taking the angle, the large bus carries enough motion to roll. Over and over and over, it finally stops in a steaming heap against a tree.

Silence.

Darkness.

Kyle swallows hard, feeling something wet trickle down the side of his face. His head hurt. He felt like he was upside down. Wait... he was. Something heavy was on top of him, his leg twisted at an odd angle. He doesn't try to move yet. Licking his lip, he tastes blood. "Chloe?" he calls, his voice raspy. "Blake?"

A small crash answers him as someone moves and sends some broken contents of the bus scattering further into the darkness. Someone groans.

Jordan is hanging from his seatbelt, a gash in his temple. His leg felt funny. "Myla?" he mumbles. "Myla??"

"Help..." Shawn's voice feebly comes from somewhere in the back. "I... I'm pinned."

Chloe's muffled cries echo in the darkness. "Kyle?" Her voice quivers with fright. "Anybody?"

Kyle finally tries to move, sliding out from under the heavy object that had been on top of him. "I'm here..." He stops to catch his breath. He suddenly realizes that he's by a window. It's above him... the bus must be on its side. A strong elbow thrust and the glass shatters, sending cool night air rushing inside.

Feeling a hand on his leg, he looks down, squinting at Chloe's lethargic form. "Come on... you alright?"

"I... I think so."

"Here." Kyle tries to help her up, gently lifting her through the new hole and out of the bus. He tries to see more in the darkness. "Is everybody okay?" he calls.

Jordan, Shawn, Hunter and Heath all manage to answer, though from the sounds of it, not all were okay. Jordan tries to call to his wife again, but once more he receives no response. Blake was unheard from as well.

"I can't move," Shawn cries again.

Boxes tumble down as Hunter rights himself from where he'd landed. He hurt all over, but at least he could move. "I'm coming, buddy, hang on." He moves towards the back.

Kyle crawls towards the front of the bus, glass cutting into his palms and knees. Fumbling in the dark, he finds Jordan's seatbelt and releases him. Jordan tries not to fall, his leg landing against something soft. "Myla? Oh no... Myla..." Groping in the next seat over, he finds his wife.

Kyle grits his teeth. "Is she alive?"

"I... I don't know... yes... yes, she's breathing." Jordan finds what's left of the seatbelt to free his wife. "We have to move her."

"We need to call for help first."

"I have to get her out of here!"

"Jordan, listen to me!" Kyle speaks sternly to his friend. "You move her, and you could cause more damage. Wait for the paramedics."

"Kyle heads back the other way, searching blindly for Blake, who still had not made any sound. He sees Hunter helping Shawn up and out of the bus, and Heath is close behind, seeming to be the most mobile of anyone at this point.

Suddenly, Kyle remembers Alice. She hadn't been that far behind the bus. Finding another broken window, he crawls outside. Already, he could hear sirens in the distance. Squinting, he blinks back some blood. He knew his body was going into mild shock when he realizes that nothing hurts anymore. Stumbling halfway up the ditch embankment, he tries to see Alice's jeep. God, please don't let her have been in the accident too. "Alice?! ...Alice??" His foot slips and he sinks into the cold grass. He shivers, only now realizing that he's strangely cold.

His eyes then spot the familiar jeep, turned on its side above the ditch. "Alice!"

Continuing up the slope, he forces his body to move, though it feels like he's fighting gravity every step of the way. Disoriented, he winds up crawling the rest of the way to the jeep, trying to see into the windshield. Lights were everywhere. The sirens were nearing. He heard people shouting. He wipes more blood from his eye so he could see. "Alice?!"