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After Will prodded me awake, I got to my feet and followed him off, thoroughly exhausted.
“Jesus, I don’t think I’ve ever done so much traveling in one day.”
I felt sorry for Tom, who had long ago given up on voicing his displeasure. Now we had to drive toward our destination. Luckily, the car rental was right next to the train station.
Outside was a wet, dreary expanse of concrete and gray skies. I wrapped my jacket around myself, shivering already as we walked to the car.
The real shock came when we went to the car, which could hardlyfit our luggage. It was beyond bizarre to sit on the left side, where the driver would normally sit back home. Tom was in the backseat and Will wove the seat belt through the cage.
“It’s okay, Tommy. We’ll be there soon,” he crooned. “You can stop rolling your eyes at me,” he said with his back facing me.
“Whatever. Let’s just go.”
Will shifted into gear and our tiny car sped out of the train station. I gripped my seat as we joined roundabout after roundabout.
The English countryside was beautiful to look at. The deep green hills, the flocks of sheep, the little hamlets with their gardens and parishes reminded me of all the pastoral watercolor paintings I used to study in college. I closed my eyes and listened to the classic music playing in the radio. I drifted off.
“NATALIE!”
Screaming pierced my ears. Both a high-pitched, animal sound and a man’s yell. My eyes snapped open, and I felt the car trembling. I looked to my right and saw Will’s face rigid with fear. I jumped in my seat.
He was hunched over the steering wheel, driving at a speed that was way, way too fast. He gulped for air and one hand clutched his chest. White-hot terror seized my heart. We passed a smoking, twisted tangle of a car wreck and I realized that we could have the same fate.
“Will, stop the car!”
“I can’t breathe."
I couldn’t think. The cat kept yowling, even it knew something was wrong.
“WILL, STOP THE FUCKING CAR!”
We barreled toward slow traffic. I reached over without thinking and yanked on the parking break. The car made an ungodly screech and my seatbelt cut into my stomach. Smoke billowed around the windows and I screamed, adding my voice to the shrieking behind me. I braced myself for the impact, but by some miracle the car ground to a halt only a millimeter from the next car’s bumper.
My heart felt like it was injected with a large dose of caffeine. The fear still pounded through my body with every rush of blood. Will gripped the wheel, looking like he would faint. He unbuckled himself and opened the door. Smoke curled inside the car. He collapsed beside the window.
“Will!”
Iran around the car to see William hunched over with his head between his knees. I stooped down next to him on the concrete and rubbed his back.
What the fuck just happened?
“Are you hurt? What happened?”
His head peeked out from his knees, glancing at the wreck half a mile down the highway. The blood drained from his face as ambulance sirens screamed. The blue and red lights flashed across his face.
I squeezed his shoulders and shook him. “Will? Snap out of it!”
His eyes slid over. My fingernails bit into his shoulder. No response.
I shot out with my hand, slapping his face a little too hard. His head whipped to the left, but he caught himself on the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut as if I had really hurt him and his shoulders shook.
“Oh my God, Will! I didn’t mean—”
“I’m sorry,” he said in a small voice.
“I’m going to get help.”
