an impossible angle against the roof of the car, her arms flopped over her torso like a rag doll's.
"Lady!" someone yelled from the side of the street. "Get out of there! It's gonna blow." The voice sounded panicked. Gaia knew she was probably about to die, but it didn't hit her. Nothing ever hit her the way it was supposed to.
Gaia stuck her hand under the woman's nose, fully expecting to feel the cold absence of breath but instead feeling a little burst of warmth. She was still breathing. Good. But the baby had to come first. Gaia flipped over onto her back and shimmied her way through the smashed window of the car, sliding along the inside of the roof.
It was a close fit, but she managed to cram her body under the screaming child. She held his stomach with one hand, and unhinged the tiny cloth belt on his seat with the other. Cradling the wailing baby against her chest, Gaia slowly squirmed her way back out the window.
Luckily there was a cop standing right over her, panting. His face was determined, but his skin was sallow.
"Give him to me and get the hell out of here," the tall, burly cop said.
Gaia handed him the baby and immediately crouched down to work on the mother.
"Girlie," the cop spat over the screams of the baby and the wail of too distant sirens. "There's gas. There's fire. How stupid are you?"
Stupid. Crazy. Fearless. It was amazing how the interpretations varied.
"So go," Gaia said, reaching into the car and grunting as she worked at the twisted mess. There was no more blood, which made Gaia feel a little better about her prospects, but the buckle seemed to be jammed.
"You're crazy," the cop said, before turning on his heel and fleeing. Gaia could smell the gas. She could hear the fire and feel its heat. Desperate yells and screams rang out from the side of the road, the loudest of which was Ed's. And the sirens grew louder and more persistent every minute, piercing her head with sharp slices of pain.
But she ignored all of it. She had to. It was the only way she could work.
Gaia jammed her thumb into the belt button with every ounce of strength one digit could contain, and it finally popped free. The woman slumped even farther. Gaia reached out a hand and cradled the woman's head.
She heard a popping sound and briefly wondered if that meant the whole car was about to burst into flames. Would that be the last sound she ever heard?
The woman moaned, and Gaia grabbed her under the arms, pulling her free from the car. The woman's heel caught on a chip of glass. It pulled off her shoe, and a long gash opened in the flesh around her heel.
The woman didn't seem to feel it, so Gaia ignored it as she dragged the woman across the street at a run. As she got closer to the sidewalk, a large man in a business suit and overcoat came out and took the woman up in his arms.
"Inside," he told Gaia, nodding toward the Pier 1 Imports store, where a couple dozen people were ducked behind furniture, trying not to look at the wreck. Gaia saw Ed staring at her from behind the counter, his eyes full of fear, anger, and gratitude.
Gaia opened the door, the man ducked in with his burden, and the whole sky turned to flames.
There were more screams. A shower of glass. Still outside, Gaia felt the thrust of heat and turned to look at the road, watching as a puff of flame and smoke rose up from the Beetle in a cloud that extinguished itself as quickly as it had appeared.
It was actually kind of cool. Like a Fourth of July firework.
Before Gaia could even register how sick it was that these were her thoughts at a time like this, she was bombarded by more people than she ever wanted in her personal space.
"Are you insane?"
"How did you do that?"
"Do you want to go out sometime?"
"Hey! There's the news van! Over here!"
As Gaia wiped the itchy sweat from her brow, she caught a glimpse of a big blue van with a huge antenna screeching toward the scene of the accident. The Pier 1 crowd was gesturing wildly for the
"Lady!" someone yelled from the side of the street. "Get out of there! It's gonna blow." The voice sounded panicked. Gaia knew she was probably about to die, but it didn't hit her. Nothing ever hit her the way it was supposed to.
Gaia stuck her hand under the woman's nose, fully expecting to feel the cold absence of breath but instead feeling a little burst of warmth. She was still breathing. Good. But the baby had to come first. Gaia flipped over onto her back and shimmied her way through the smashed window of the car, sliding along the inside of the roof.
It was a close fit, but she managed to cram her body under the screaming child. She held his stomach with one hand, and unhinged the tiny cloth belt on his seat with the other. Cradling the wailing baby against her chest, Gaia slowly squirmed her way back out the window.
Luckily there was a cop standing right over her, panting. His face was determined, but his skin was sallow.
"Give him to me and get the hell out of here," the tall, burly cop said.
Gaia handed him the baby and immediately crouched down to work on the mother.
"Girlie," the cop spat over the screams of the baby and the wail of too distant sirens. "There's gas. There's fire. How stupid are you?"
Stupid. Crazy. Fearless. It was amazing how the interpretations varied.
"So go," Gaia said, reaching into the car and grunting as she worked at the twisted mess. There was no more blood, which made Gaia feel a little better about her prospects, but the buckle seemed to be jammed.
"You're crazy," the cop said, before turning on his heel and fleeing. Gaia could smell the gas. She could hear the fire and feel its heat. Desperate yells and screams rang out from the side of the road, the loudest of which was Ed's. And the sirens grew louder and more persistent every minute, piercing her head with sharp slices of pain.
But she ignored all of it. She had to. It was the only way she could work.
Gaia jammed her thumb into the belt button with every ounce of strength one digit could contain, and it finally popped free. The woman slumped even farther. Gaia reached out a hand and cradled the woman's head.
She heard a popping sound and briefly wondered if that meant the whole car was about to burst into flames. Would that be the last sound she ever heard?
The woman moaned, and Gaia grabbed her under the arms, pulling her free from the car. The woman's heel caught on a chip of glass. It pulled off her shoe, and a long gash opened in the flesh around her heel.
The woman didn't seem to feel it, so Gaia ignored it as she dragged the woman across the street at a run. As she got closer to the sidewalk, a large man in a business suit and overcoat came out and took the woman up in his arms.
"Inside," he told Gaia, nodding toward the Pier 1 Imports store, where a couple dozen people were ducked behind furniture, trying not to look at the wreck. Gaia saw Ed staring at her from behind the counter, his eyes full of fear, anger, and gratitude.
Gaia opened the door, the man ducked in with his burden, and the whole sky turned to flames.
There were more screams. A shower of glass. Still outside, Gaia felt the thrust of heat and turned to look at the road, watching as a puff of flame and smoke rose up from the Beetle in a cloud that extinguished itself as quickly as it had appeared.
It was actually kind of cool. Like a Fourth of July firework.
Before Gaia could even register how sick it was that these were her thoughts at a time like this, she was bombarded by more people than she ever wanted in her personal space.
"Are you insane?"
"How did you do that?"
"Do you want to go out sometime?"
"Hey! There's the news van! Over here!"
As Gaia wiped the itchy sweat from her brow, she caught a glimpse of a big blue van with a huge antenna screeching toward the scene of the accident. The Pier 1 crowd was gesturing wildly for the
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