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Rubber sped over the slick blacktop with a growl as Crystal’s cherry-red 2022 Corvette Stingray cut through the pounding rain like a hot knife through butter. The wind thrashed violently with the force of a hurricane. Crystal's tear-streaked face glanced at her boyfriend Evan, whose face was set with determination as he gripped the steering wheel tight. She squeezed the ripped strip of green shirt on her injured wrist as the blood continued to ooze out, staining the carpet.
“Evan, please hurry!” She pleaded.
“Babe, I'm going as fast as I can! Just hold on!” He barked.
She flinched at his angry tone and turned away. She watched as the lightning strikes lit up the thrashing trees. The tires lost traction on the slick road, causing the car to slide into the oncoming lane.
As the bright LEDs of a large SUV blinded Evan he shouted, “Shit!” and yanked the wheel as hard as he could towards the right, slamming his foot on the gas accidentally in the process. The car swerved past his goal and slammed into a tree. The front end crumpled like a paper bag, and the windshield shattered. The airbag deployed as Evan was launched forward, his face becoming engulfed by the white nylon fabric as it inflated with a hiss. Crystal screamed upon the impact and ducked her head down before everything went dark.
Crystal groaned as she lifted her head from the dash. Her wrist throbbed painfully in tune with her aching head, which wasn't helped by the blaring horn. She turned towards Evan, who was still slumped over in the driver's seat, his face planted directly on the steering wheel.
“Evan? Evan, wake up!” she cried as she unbuckled her seat belt and lightly shook his shoulder. A trail of dried blood led from his nose down to his open mouth, and she could immediately tell that his nose was definitely broken. She grimaced and shook him harder.
“Evan!” she yelled. Her wrist twinged from the effort. Evan's head remained limp as the horn pierced the quiet night air. She shoved him back towards the seat, quieting the shrill noise. He didn't stir, but his blue eyes were wide open in shock. She noticed the small gash above his hairline was dark and bleeding sluggishly. Crystal watched his firm chest for the comforting rise and fall of his breathing, but he was eerily still.
“Evan?” She whimpered as she placed her head on his chest to listen for a heartbeat or a sudden intake of breath. She was greeted with silence. Her eyes welled with tears as she sobbed. She pulled her battered body towards him and rubbed his stumbled cheek softly before she gently tucked a stray strand of his blond hair behind his ear and closed his eyelids. She cried on his shoulder for what felt like hours, and immersed herself in his fading scent: his expensive sandalwood and vanilla cologne she had bought him for his birthday that year, the cigarette smoke that clung to his jacket, the subtle floral smell of their shared laundry detergent. When her voice became hoarse and her tears dried up, she wiped her face one last time as her eyes burned. Crystal turned around in her seat and searched the floor.
‘I need to call 911 or my mom or… somebody for help!’ She thought. She searched among the broken glass, wet leaves, and bark fragments until she saw it: the faint glow of her cracked pink cell phone. She reached underneath the passenger seat and pulled it towards her face, ignoring the tiny shards and splinters cutting into her hand.
“Come on, come on…” she muttered as she frantically tapped on the screen, leaving bloody fingerprints behind. The phone was unresponsive to her touch.
“Fuck!” she screamed and threw her broken phone into the backseat. Crystal grabbed the passenger side door and wrenched it open with a loud creak. As she struggled to wrench herself free from the car, she twisted her ankle. She grunted in pain and continued, pausing to catch her breath between attempts. Her formerly-white tennis shoes touched the wet concrete as she shakily stepped away from the car and stared at the horrifying destruction. A large branch had been blasted off of the tree from the force of the crash. Another branch had landed on the back of the car, crushing it and rendering the trunk unusable. She limped over to the driver's side and tried to pull the door open since she knew Evan liked to put his phone in his left pocket. It was locked.
“Damn it!” she growled and banged her fist against the glass. Her wrist flared in pain. She dropped to the ground and howled, clutching her arm to her chest. Suddenly, she began to burn as the moon's harsh light peeked from behind the stormy clouds. Her body felt like she had been doused in gasoline and set ablaze. Her teeth ground against each other, her mouth filled with iron, and her hands and feet flexed as she thrashed. Her back ached as her spine cracked. Her mouth felt too full as she spat blood and teeth onto the wet asphalt. Crystal's cries of agony soon changed to a bloodcurdling howl as her face stretched uncannily and flesh tore. Her skin tingled as thick auburn hair sprouted all over her broken body. She collapsed onto the ground, panting harshly. When she tried to stand up, her knees were bent in the wrong direction. Oddly, she no longer felt any pain, and when she looked down at the road, she saw her bloodied makeshift bandage in shreds. The scent of pine, burnt rubber, blood, and petrichor filled her enlarged nostrils. She gingerly stepped with her distorted limbs toward the car and paused when she caught her visage in the side mirror. A grotesque mixture of humanoid and canine features looked back at her.