6. Chapter 6 - Regina
Chapter 6 - Regina
“R ecalculating…recalculating…”
The electronic, monotone voice of my GPS is grating on my already frayed nerves.
My audiobook got to a really good spot in the story, completely pulling me in. It wasn’t until the snow started coming down in large, wet flakes that it occurred to me that I should have checked a weather report.
The GPS is supposed to be directing me to the closest hotel. The winding mountain road that I find myself on is ratcheting up my nerves, as the snow is hindering visibility. I turn down the radio after shutting off my book so that I can see better. It sounds dumb, but anyone who has driven in weather like this has done the same thing at least once.
The car has been in four-wheel drive for a while now. My speed is much slower than the posted speed limit. Having seen no other cars for over an hour, I keep the car close to what I think is the centerline.
Coming around a bend, a scream escapes me as, reflexively, my foot hits the brake pedal, causing the car to fishtail. A light gray wolf that had been in the road darts out of the way at the last minute.
Between the slick road and over-correcting my steering, the car continues to fishtail, and I lose control. Cursing the animal and my own bad luck, I brace myself as my car slides into the hillside with a jarring thump.
The airbags deploy, keeping me from hitting the steering wheel. Despite the airbag, my head bounces off the window…hard.
Touching my hand to my head, my fingers come away wet. Once the bags deflate some, I look through the windows, catching sight of the wolf staring at me. The human-like behavior has me shaking my head. Doing so causes my world to go dark.