Prologue
Savior
Crash.
The sound of metal crushing metal on impact filled my ears while an unrelenting pressure against my chest held me in place. My neck snapped forward and my vision filled with a flash of white. Before I could make out what was in front of me, my eyes began to sting.
Something was happening, but I didn’t know what and I needed to find out. I pushed myself forward only to be stopped by something holding me in place. I was tired. I closed my eyes and started to drift off when another loud noise caused my aching body to jolt.
“Hey! Hey! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” someone was screaming. “Hey! Fuck, man!”
Then another voice, or maybe it was the same one. “It’s bad. We need help now! I can’t get either one of them out! Please hurry.”
My body started to shake. “Come on! Please! I need you to help me.”
My eyes shot open, and I tried to take in my surroundings. My vision was blurry, and my eyes stung, but I knew right away I was in my truck. And the airbag had deployed. And I couldn’t see anything other than my smashed-up hood through the windshield. What happened?
Fingers snapped in front of my face. “Help me!” a man I didn’t recognize insisted and pulled on my door. I undid my seat belt and pushed against the door. It took a bit of force, but we got it open, and I climbed out of my truck.
“This way! We have to get him out,” the man said and took off running.
I dazedly followed him, unsure of what we were doing. I looked around and wondered where I was when it hit me like a ton of bricks.
I’d worked late. I was driving home on the interstate. And then, nothing. My vision came back into focus and landed on the car in front of me. Suddenly, my adrenaline kicked in, and my body sprang into motion. I ran over to the car, and together with the man who’d helped me, we wrestled with the mangled car door until we finally pulled it open.
“Hey there! Sir! Can you hear me?” the man screamed.
I pulled out my knife and watched the man’s eyes widen in fear. “Here,” I said and held it out handle-first. “Cut the airbag and his seat belt so we can get him out.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s a good idea,” he rambled.
“Did you already call 9-1-1?” I asked.
“Yeah, as soon as I saw the accident. I didn’t know if—”
I cut him off. He didn’t know if we were dead. I didn’t need to hear it. “Good. They should be here soon.”
It seemed like hours, though it was only minutes. First, the fire trucks and an ambulance arrived. Then, the highway patrol. And then, at least ten more police cars showed up. Why? Because I’d fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into a police cruiser.
I was completely sober.
I passed two separate field sobriety tests.
I passed the breathalyzer.
I offered to let them take my blood.
I wasn’t speeding.
I was tired.
It was an accident.
But, hours later, none of that mattered. Because, accident or not, I’d killed a police officer.
1
Savior
