strange, but it’s crucial that you trust and follow me.”
“I trust you.”
Sekiro drifted closer so her beating wings buffeted Roxie with air. “So do we have a deal? You follow me and I help you get out of here?” She held out a hand.
Roxie took it. “You bet. I appreciate all the help you can give me. I’d probably still be on that train station, and unconscious.”
Sekiro clasped Roxie’s hand in both of hers. “You’d probably be dead already if it weren’t for me,” she said with a wan smile.
Roxie grimaced. That drove the point home.
They flew west, back towards the lighthouse, but slightly north of it. If she remembered correctly, her father had worked for Human Resources out of City Hall. Mom had gone into labor towards the beginning of rush hour, so Dad had scrambled for the hospital to be with her. The police had told Grandma that her son had, according to witnesses, been weaving through the building traffic on the Niagara Thruway, and so had the person that hit him. His Civic got clipped by a pickup truck and both vehicles lost control. The truck swerved off the road, but Dad spun out. The car behind him t-boned him in the driver’s side, and then a few more cars piled up behind the wreckage. No charges were pressed since it was unclear who’d originally been at fault. A gruesome tale without a satisfying ending.
Recalling her grandmother describing what had happened to Dad made her heart feel heavier. Yes, she was about to meet his ghost, but what would he do when they met? Would his spirit be whole, or would his body be covered in fatal injuries? Would seeing her cause him great pain, or would he be overjoyed with being able to talk to her at last? Her heart began racing. Would he even like her or want anything to do with her? He had, after all, died because of her, in a sense. No, she hadn’t encouraged him to drive dangerously, and no, she hadn’t done anything to induce the fatal crash, but he’d been driving dangerously because Roxie was about to be born.
Thinking that made Roxie realize how ridiculous she sounded. How could anyone blame a baby about to be born for an adult’s driving? Still, even with that realization, she couldn’t help but worry that he might have one reason or another to reject her.
Sekiro guided them to the Niagara Thruway. When they flew to within a quarter mile of the crash site, cars began to appear all over the highway. They manifested as if they’d driven out of a fog and the hum of engines and collective whoosh of rushing cars met their ears. The sounds were muted, as if they were hearing the highway from farther away than they actually were.
“There he is,” Sekiro said somberly, pointing to a forest green Civic weaving through traffic. A few cars behind him was a black pickup truck doing the same.
The truck weaved to the left lane as Dad sped along the right lane. He tailgated a car until he had barely enough space to sneak into the center lane and the truck passed the car in the center and changed lanes without using his blinker. At the same time, Dad swerved into the center lane, and the Civic’s front left side met the truck’s right rear flank like hands slapping together. The crunch of impact sounded amplified over the rest of the din. The truck reflexively left the center lane. Dad’s car wobbled for two heartbeats before spinning out in the right and center lanes. An old Cadillac t-boned him right in his driver’s side door with a teeth-clenching smash. The Civic log-rolled a full three-sixty and slid a little farther before coming to a complete stop, glass and metal scattering everywhere. The pickup truck crossed every lane and swerved off the road, running over debris and stopping just past the Civic. A handful of cars piled up behind the Cadillac with more smashes that made Roxie suck in air between her teeth. Traffic began screeching to a halt.
Roxie and Sekiro alighted next to Dad’s car and Roxie reached for the mangled
“I trust you.”
Sekiro drifted closer so her beating wings buffeted Roxie with air. “So do we have a deal? You follow me and I help you get out of here?” She held out a hand.
Roxie took it. “You bet. I appreciate all the help you can give me. I’d probably still be on that train station, and unconscious.”
Sekiro clasped Roxie’s hand in both of hers. “You’d probably be dead already if it weren’t for me,” she said with a wan smile.
Roxie grimaced. That drove the point home.
They flew west, back towards the lighthouse, but slightly north of it. If she remembered correctly, her father had worked for Human Resources out of City Hall. Mom had gone into labor towards the beginning of rush hour, so Dad had scrambled for the hospital to be with her. The police had told Grandma that her son had, according to witnesses, been weaving through the building traffic on the Niagara Thruway, and so had the person that hit him. His Civic got clipped by a pickup truck and both vehicles lost control. The truck swerved off the road, but Dad spun out. The car behind him t-boned him in the driver’s side, and then a few more cars piled up behind the wreckage. No charges were pressed since it was unclear who’d originally been at fault. A gruesome tale without a satisfying ending.
Recalling her grandmother describing what had happened to Dad made her heart feel heavier. Yes, she was about to meet his ghost, but what would he do when they met? Would his spirit be whole, or would his body be covered in fatal injuries? Would seeing her cause him great pain, or would he be overjoyed with being able to talk to her at last? Her heart began racing. Would he even like her or want anything to do with her? He had, after all, died because of her, in a sense. No, she hadn’t encouraged him to drive dangerously, and no, she hadn’t done anything to induce the fatal crash, but he’d been driving dangerously because Roxie was about to be born.
Thinking that made Roxie realize how ridiculous she sounded. How could anyone blame a baby about to be born for an adult’s driving? Still, even with that realization, she couldn’t help but worry that he might have one reason or another to reject her.
Sekiro guided them to the Niagara Thruway. When they flew to within a quarter mile of the crash site, cars began to appear all over the highway. They manifested as if they’d driven out of a fog and the hum of engines and collective whoosh of rushing cars met their ears. The sounds were muted, as if they were hearing the highway from farther away than they actually were.
“There he is,” Sekiro said somberly, pointing to a forest green Civic weaving through traffic. A few cars behind him was a black pickup truck doing the same.
The truck weaved to the left lane as Dad sped along the right lane. He tailgated a car until he had barely enough space to sneak into the center lane and the truck passed the car in the center and changed lanes without using his blinker. At the same time, Dad swerved into the center lane, and the Civic’s front left side met the truck’s right rear flank like hands slapping together. The crunch of impact sounded amplified over the rest of the din. The truck reflexively left the center lane. Dad’s car wobbled for two heartbeats before spinning out in the right and center lanes. An old Cadillac t-boned him right in his driver’s side door with a teeth-clenching smash. The Civic log-rolled a full three-sixty and slid a little farther before coming to a complete stop, glass and metal scattering everywhere. The pickup truck crossed every lane and swerved off the road, running over debris and stopping just past the Civic. A handful of cars piled up behind the Cadillac with more smashes that made Roxie suck in air between her teeth. Traffic began screeching to a halt.
Roxie and Sekiro alighted next to Dad’s car and Roxie reached for the mangled
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