Part 1

Tires screeching, Alex swerved to the left, crossing the line into oncoming traffic and then back into the proper lane.

"What was she thinking!?" bellowed Paul from the passenger seat.

Alex pulled over and took a few seconds to let her heart sink back down into her chest before responding. There didn't seem to be enough oxygen in the car anymore.

"I don't know." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She rolled down the windows to let in some bitingly sharp air and turned to look out the back window.

"I don't think I hit her, but there was something--"

"Yeah," Paul interjected, "....look."

Following the direction of his pointed finger, she saw it--the passenger side mirror dangling below the window.

"oh" was all she could manage in reply. "Well...what happened to that lady?"

Noticing her pale cheeks, Paul asked, "Are you alright?"

Alex responded by opening the door. "I have to make sure she's okay."

Unbuckling her seat belt, she got out and was twenty feet down the road before Paul could catch up.

"Hang on--Alex, please, I should check it out first."

She glared at him, but slowed down and finally stopped. He was probably right. Sometimes he was annoying like that.

The woman had come out of nowhere, appearing in the middle of the highway about ten feet from her license plate. The bright yellow hat she wore was what attracted their attention in the first place. But now Alex couldn't see any sign of her at all.

Something heavy settled in her stomach as Paul shouted back to her. His voice was strangled, weak somehow.

"Get your cell phone. We need an ambulance."