What the Hell Happened?

Inebriated and still blinded by rage, Gary, drove faster and faster through the poorly lit twilight of winding country lanes. The limp lifeless body of his wife lay in a crumpled heap in the footwell of the passenger's seat. An unending torrent of vulgarity spewed, drunkenly, from Gary as he drove.

How dare she think she could leave me? ME!

His children sat terrified in the back, his youngest son sobbing silently, a new bruise forming on his cheek. His oldest, a girl sporting older bruises and scab encrusted cuts, evidence of their fathers constant abuse, stared blankly out the window.

Fucking bitch! I'll show you and your little brats.

Gary's blurred vision and pounding head made it difficult to focus on the road ahead. Despite this, he sped up as he veered wildly around the ever increasingly blind corners.

A scream pierced through Gary's tirade of slurred and incoherent obscenities as the final child, a baby girl jolted awake and felt the pain from a head wound which slowly leaked blood down the back of the baby seat. Gary jerked around to face the children.

"SHUT THAT FUCKING THING UP!"

Both hands left the steering wheel as he swung his fist into the back of the car, trying to silence the screaming baby. The car drifted across the center of the road.

The inside of the car lit up and Gary was thrown forwards, the sound of crumpling metal ripped through the silent evening. All went black.

* * *

After the dragging monotony of yet another day at the office, Richard was glad to be heading home. He had thought about stopping off to get some flowers to give to his girlfriend; tonight was the night he had planned to propose. He had planned it all but the usual 'urgent' requirements of his job had forced him to stay in the office, delaying him and forcing him to put it off for another day.

His phone began to ring on the passenger seat, he sighed, it would be Isabelle checking he was okay and to tell him she had made dinner already and he would be somewhere keeping warm. His grasping hand couldn't find the phone on the passenger seat so he glanced down, for the space of a heartbeat, to locate it.

The inside of the car lit up and Richard was thrown forwards, the sound of crumpling metal ripped through the silent evening. All went black.

* * *

The acrid stench of petrol and heated metal reached the nostrils of the unconscious man. Richard was draped over his steering wheel. His eyes cracked open.

What the hell happened?

Oh god! I've just crashed - I hit that car - okay okay - what do you do now - you phone 999.

Bleary eyed, Richard found his phone and called.

She says I should get out the car - it's not safe.

Richard managed to force the crumpled door open and stumbled out of the car.

"There's a man and children in the other car," Richard said into the phone, his voice sounded sluggish in his head.

Oh god. What have I done? - don't move them if they're injured - an ambulance is on the way.

He stumbled closer to the other car.

The passenger seat was covered in blood, a bloody man lay on his steering wheel, neck twisted awkwardly.

So much blood - So much - must have come from him.

There were three children strapped into the back seat, blissfully, only showing signs of small cuts and bruises.

Stumbling forwards, he yanked the back door open and helped a girl out of the car, her eyes were wide, staring blankly at the world around her.

Shock - she's in shock - must be.

Next, he pulled a boy out, who winced slightly when Richard took his arm and pulled him out of the car. Finally, as Richard unfastened the baby seat he saw her...

Crumpled in the passenger footwell, accusatory eyes staring blankly up at him. Richard's blood went cold.

I killed her.

He pulled the car seat out of the car and led the children a short distance away from the wreckage of the two cars. And their parents - That I killed.

None of them spoke as they collapsed on the verge. Absently, Richard noticed his phone, still connected to the 999 operator, laying discarded in a stream of petrol which ebbed gently from his car.

Eventually, blue lights flashed down the road. Richard wasn't sure how much time had passed since the accident - accident?! - no - I did this - I killed two people - their parents - but, in what seemed like no time at all, some paramedics came to check him and the children over; while the shadowy figures of firefighters cut into the other car.

Richard was placed in a blanket, led to an ambulance and, after a brief conversation with the police, he was taken to the local hospital.

Laying in a hospital bed, the pain of his own injuries finally started to show itself but only one thought kept circling Richard.

I am a murderer.