Ivor's reaction came a split second too late. He screamed, "Look out!"
CRASH!
Both drivers had slammed their brakes with everything they had, but the sheer momentum was too great. The two cars collided head-on.
The angle of impact sent the oncoming black sedan into a violent roll, flipping onto its side.
We were still reeling from the shock when a woman crawled out of the overturned car, her face drenched in blood. She staggered toward us, swaying with every step.
Ivor finally snapped out of it, his face white with panic. He spun around to look at me, stammering the same question over and over: "What do we do? What do we do?..."
Before any of us could answer, the woman had already reached our car. She slapped her bloodied palms against the driver's side window and screamed, "Please—hurry! There's someone still inside!"
I knew every second counted. I told Ivor to unlock the doors so we could get out and help.
Hands shaking, Ivor hit the locks and let us out.
The moment Kathryn stepped out of the car, she rounded on the blood-streaked woman and unleashed a tirade: "Are you blind? You saw us coming and didn't even think to get out of the way!"
"Do you have any idea what you've done? You've ruined my plans—do you understand that?"
The woman's right arm hung at a grotesque angle—clearly broken.
But she didn't acknowledge a single word of Kathryn's abuse. She just pointed at the overturned car and pleaded, "Please, I'm begging you—save her. Save my mother-in-law."
The desperation in her voice cut through everything else. I rushed forward, crouching low to peer inside the wreck. An elderly woman, frail and gaunt, was pinned inside the crumpled cabin. Her face was the color of ash. She was in bad shape.
I dropped to my knees, crawled partway into the wreckage, and carefully pulled the old woman free.
Despite the pain etched across every line of her face, she managed a faint whisper: "Thank you."
Then her eyes fluttered shut, and she slipped into a semi-conscious state.
The blood-covered woman saw that I'd gotten her mother-in-law out and rushed over, bowing deeply. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Please—can you take her to a hospital? She's in critical condition, and my arm is broken. I can't drive—"
I could see the situation clearly. If the old woman's injuries went untreated and something happened to her, none of us would walk away clean.
I turned to Ivor. "Help me get her into the car. We need to get her to a hospital. Now."
Before Ivor could respond, Kathryn stepped in front of me, her face twisted with fury. "Have you lost your mind? Why should we take her anywhere?"
"If we go to the hospital, we'll miss the music festival. How am I supposed to get Frenzy's autograph?"
She whipped around and barked at Ivor in a tone that left no room for discussion: "Get in the car. We need to hit the highway now, or we won't make it."
The bloodied woman saw them preparing to leave and threw herself in front of Ivor, blocking his path. The pleading softness drained from her voice, replaced by steel. "You're not going anywhere. My mother-in-law has severe internal injuries. If she doesn't get to a hospital in time, she will die."
Kathryn's expression darkened the instant the woman blocked Ivor's way. She stormed forward and shoved the woman hard with both hands, sending her crashing to the ground.
"Your mother-in-law dying is none of my business. Get out of my way before I make you."
Pushed to her limit, the bloodied woman's demeanor shifted entirely. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her good hand, gritted her teeth against the pain, and hauled herself back to her feet. Her eyes burned with a cold, dangerous fury as she pointed at Kathryn.
"You were driving the wrong way. You hit us. And this is how you act?" Her voice dropped low. "You really think I'm someone you can push around?"
"Let me tell you something. My husband is Byron Head of Crestport. He's on his way here right now. When he finds out what you've done to his wife and his mother—do you have any idea what he'll do to you?"
The name hit me like a jolt of electricity. Byron Head of Crestport.
My heart seized.
