Chapter 13 - Metal and Glass
The sound of shearing metal tore through the rainy night as the sedan collided with the guardrail, spinning twice before grinding to a violent halt against the concrete divider. Julian’s SUV slid to a stop twenty yards away, smoke pouring from its tires. He threw open the door and sprinted blindly through the rain, terror seizing his lungs. "Elena!"
The driver’s side of the sedan was crushed, Clara slumped unconscious over the deployed airbag. On the passenger side, the door was jammed, the window fractured into a web of white spiderwebs. Julian grabbed the handle, tearing his knuckles open on the jagged metal until the latch yielded with a sickening groan.
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Elena was conscious, coughing against the acrid smell of smoke and chemical powder, clutching her belly with both arms. "Don't... don't touch me," she gasped, her face pale and streaked with soot. Julian ignored her protests, unbuckling her seatbelt with urgent care and lifting her into his arms. "I'm getting you out of here. The fuel line is ruptured."
He carried her through the rain toward his vehicle, placing her gently in the back seat and wrapping his dry coat around her shivering shoulders. As he turned back to pull Clara from the wreck, the headlights of a black limousine cut through the fog, parking directly across the road and blocking their only exit path.
