Chapter 2 - The Pine Root
Alma did not grab Nora.
She grabbed the seat belt.
That mistake probably saved both of them.
When the sedan shifted again, Nora's body stayed pinned inside while Alma was thrown against the door frame instead of dragged underneath the car.
"Don't move," Alma gasped.
"I can't breathe."
"Good. Breathing means you're alive. Keep doing that."
It was a terrible joke. Nora laughed anyway, then cried because laughing hurt.
The front wheels hung over open air. One rear tire rested against a pine root no thicker than Alma's wrist.
Above them, Daniel shouted, "Nora!"
She looked up.
He was on his stomach near the edge.
Celeste stood behind him.
For a second Nora thought he was finally going to help.
Then he yelled, "Where's the red case?"
Nora stared at him.
"What?"
"The red metal case! Was it in the trunk?"
Alma went still.
That was the moment Nora understood the crash was not only about killing her.
They wanted something in the car.
Alma whispered, "Don't answer."
Celeste shouted down, "Daniel, leave it! The car will finish the job."
Nora's stomach tightened.
Not from fear.
A contraction.
Too early.
She gripped Alma's sleeve.
"Something's wrong."
Alma looked at the blood darkening Nora's dress near her hip.
"Oh, honey."
"Don't say it like that."
Alma swallowed.
"All right. I won't."
She tried to reach the passenger door, but the frame was crushed.
Another rock snapped loose below them.
The sedan shifted again.
The pine root groaned.
Above, Daniel shouted that he had called emergency services.
Celeste slapped his shoulder.
"Idiot!"
That argument bought them time.
Alma crawled across the hood, wrapped an arm around a low branch, and kicked the windshield twice.
Nothing.
"Again," Nora said.
"My hip says no."
"Tell your hip to shut up."
Alma barked a laugh and kicked again.
The windshield spidered.
On the fourth kick, it caved inward.
Alma pulled away jagged glass with her bare hands.
"Can you crawl?"
Nora looked down at her belly.
"Probably not."
"Try badly."
Nora released the seat belt.
The car dropped six inches.
Both women froze.
From inside the trunk came a sharp metallic clang.
Something heavy slid forward.
The red case.
Nora remembered now.
Her late father's attorney had given it to her that morning and said, "Do not let Daniel open this before you do."
She had laughed at him.
Now Daniel was hanging over a cliff asking for it.
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The pine root split down the middle.
