Prologue
The man slipped behind the wheel of the brand new BMW Z4 and slammed the door hearing the gratifying sound of a well built machine. He sat for a moment taking in the new car smell, then he inserted the key in the ignition and heard the roar of the engine as it sprang to life. He glanced down at the instrument panel and thought, Only thirty-four miles on this baby and I think I’ll just see how fast she will go. It’s late and nobody will be around to bother me.
He slipped the car into gear and released the clutch, hearing the tires spin on the asphalt. He quickly steered the car out onto the highway and since it was two a. m. there was absolutely no traffic to slow him down.
He watched the speedometer climb rapidly to seventy, then eighty and then ninety-five. The car handled beautifully, taking the turns like it was on a racetrack. He glanced down quickly to verify the speed but when he looked up he faced a bridge abutment racing toward him. He had missed the curve and he panicked in horror, wrenching at the steering wheel, trying to turn the vehicle but it was too late, as the car slammed into the concrete with an ear shattering blast with the unfastened seat belts flailing aimlessly. The engine was wrenched from it’s mounts and driven straight back into the driver. The rear end of the car was lifted in the air and slammed back down with a thud; the tires still spinning frantically forcing it further into the concrete. The man was impaled by the steering column, crushing his chest as the windshield crashed in, obliterating his face.
Suddenly there was silence as the wheels stopped spinning and the only sound was the hiss of steam from the fractured radiator and the drip of other fluids from the now destroyed sports car. There was no one to witness the crushed vehicle or the unrecognizable driver as things slowly returned to normal early on a Tuesday morning.
Newton Falls, Virginia
July 17th, 2012