David. David.

by Megan Snedeker
(Hawarden, Iowa, United States)

David.
David.

That's the only thought that comes to mind as my injured brain and jumbled mind tries to make some sense of what happened. I'm swimming in black, a haze shrouding my thoughts and making everything in my mind fuzzy at the edges. Yet somehow, one name jumps out. It seems to make perfect sense, as though that one word is the answer to all of my questions or fears or worries.

David.
David.

Finally I can feel it, the searing-hot pain in my body. Broken limbs. I can even smell the pungent smell of burning hair. And fire. That's when the flashbacks start. I can hear car tires screeching, trying in vain to get a grasp on the road, enough to come to a stop. The other car honks, hoping to get the other driver to swerve, preserve at least one of their lives. And at the last second, she does. Although she only manages to avoid hitting the other car dead on. She hits its right side, in hopes of protecting the driver from anything fatal. Although I don't even know who the driver is. It's just a blurry, familiar face amidst the many other blurry thoughts and images. Then I hear it again.

David.
David.

It's now like a soft song, whispering to me, soothing me in my final moments. The pain begins to ebb away, and the face begins to clear. As I make out the longer brown hair, goatee, ocean-blue eyes, my slowing heart completely stops. I can't even comprehend the identity of the driver for a few moments, but then it hits me hard.

David.
"David!"

The last word comes out as a final cry of love, hate, pain, and fear. It's also my last thought as everything begins fading to black. But then, while swimming in nothingness, one more fear crawls into my mind. Did David live? Or was it all in vain?