Phone lines were down. No way to call 911 when the asthma attack started. My 6 year old son, kevin, had used the last of his inhaler the day before. I hadn’t had time to pick up the next prescription yet. I was going only 5 miles over the speed limit, hoping to get to the hospital fast. I was taking a turn onto birch street, and that’s when it happened. My head hit the steering wheel, and the car spun out. The car dove nose first into a ditch. I put my hand up to my nose, only to wince. I was sure it was broken, blood running down my face. I looked back at kevin, and saw he was passed out. A small shard of glass had stuck in his arm, and he was bleeding a lot. I started to smell smoke. From under the engine, a stream of jet black smoke rose into the night sky. I jumped back to kevin. His seatbelt was jammed. I tugged and tugged, but it wouldn’t let loose. I went to check his pulse, only to find that there was another shard of glass, deep in his neck. I grabbed his wrist, which revealed no pulse. Tears started raining down my cheek. I was tugging at the seat belt more, trying to at least get his body out of the car. Just then, flames erupted from the hood. I tried the door, but it too was jammed. I tried kicking out the window, but my adrenaline must have slowed, because when I kicked, a sharp pain went into my ankle. It was broken. The car kept getting hotter and hotter. I hugged Kevin tight. The flames were getting bigger and bigger. I whispered into Kevin’s ears, “I love you.” At that moment the window shattered, and two arms reached in. They found me, and started to pull me out.

“Let’s go, we need to get away from the car fast!” The person carrying me shouted, as he put his arm around my neck and ran with me. We got maybe twenty feet away, when the car exploded.

“Noooooo!” I couldn’t help it, I knew Kevin was already gone, but seeing the car with him inside it was too much. I dropped to my knees and threw up. I looked up at the person who rescued me. He looked young.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you turning the corner.” I looked at the young man for a second while his words were sinking in. I stood up, adrenaline pumping again, and lunged at him.

“YOU KILLED MY CHILD YOU SON OF A BITCH! I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!” My hands were grabbing the collar of his shirt.

“Sir, I… I… I didn’t mean to,” his eyes started to tear up. I let go of him.

“Let me see your license, I need the number, phone lines are down, I need to walk to the police station, and if you leave while I’m gone, I need proof of who you are.” He gave me a troubling look.

“Well… you see sir… I don’t have a license. I failed my drivers test, but my dad had already gotten me a car, I was just taking for a test drive when…” My hands went for him again, this time reaching his throat.

“You killed my son, you don’t even have a license, you’re a criminal. You took my son’s life!” My hands got tighter and tighter. The young man was trying to say something but couldn’t through my hands around his neck. A minute went by, and the man’s body went limp in my hands. I let go, dropped to the ground, and passed out.