[Original: Drabble] "When I Fall" [Zeke Jones, G]
Title: When I Fall
Prompt: writerverse challenge #07 build a scene
Word Count: 598
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Zeke Jones ‘verse)
Summary: Zeke and Howell take a tumble.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
When I Fall
I woke in the dark, and everything hurt.
“Jones?”
It was quiet, and I could smell something- gasoline and blood. That couldn’t be good. I tried to move and winced as my ribs protested. What was going on?
“Jones, can you hear me?”
My eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and I could see that I was in a small space… a car, a police squad car. But why was everything upside-down?
“Hezekia, if you don’t answer me in the next five seconds…”
The car must have crashed. But I hadn’t been driving. I was never allowed to drive, so that meant-
“Howell,” I croaked.
I realized there was a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see my partner kneeling outside the car, scowling through the broken passenger window, but when I spoke, his expression softened.
“Report, rookie,” he snapped, a lot less forcefully than he usually did.
“Ow,” I managed, wincing again as I tried to turn toward him, then frowned. “You’re hurt, sir.”
His expression then might actually have been called a smile, even by an outside observer. “Cuts and bruises. Can you move?”
Given what I’d tried already, I figured that it would hurt, but I knew Howell wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I needed to get out of the car, and he probably couldn’t get me out by himself. My ribs protested as I twisted, but all of my limbs still seemed to function properly.
“Good, good,” said Howell, and I realized that if I could move myself, he wouldn’t have to worry as much about hurting me while we were getting me out. “Now, can you reach your seatbelt? I’ll catch you.”
He would. If there was one thing I’d learned about my partner, it was that he was reliable. If he said he’d back you up, he would.
“Jones?”
“Sorry, sir.” I found the buckle of my seatbelt and rested my thumb against it. “Ready.”
Howell slid one large hand beneath my shoulders and the other under my thighs. Some other time, I’d have bad a crack about ‘bad touches’ but just then, I found it reassuring.
I pushed the seatbelt release and fell. Howell caught my weight easily, even at that weird angle through the window, and he pulled me out of the car.
He stood me upright, and I wobbled, but managed to keep my feet. Now that we were out in the moonlight, I could see my partner better. He had some pretty nasty scrapes along both arms, and a cut across his nose, but he seemed otherwise okay.
“What happened?” he asked.
“We were forced off the road,” my partner growled.
I looked at our ruined car, then up at the road. We were at the bottom of a quarry pit , and the crumpled guard rail was disconcertingly high above us.
“We fell all that way?” I asked, a little stunned.
Howell frowned and put a hand under my chin. “Jones, what’s the last thing you remember?”
“We were in pursuit of Watkins’s car,” I said. “One of his passengers shot at us, I returned fire and-” I made a ‘car goes off a cliff’ gesture, but got a little carried away and overbalanced.
Howell caught me again, scowling. “Radios don’t work down here. We’ll have to get higher up before we call it in. Can you make it, rookie?”
I looked at the long dirt track, scored and cracked from where our car had hit it, then down at the firm grip Howell had on my elbow.
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
THE END
Current Mood:
snowed in
Prompt: writerverse challenge #07 build a scene
Word Count: 598
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original ( Zeke Jones ‘verse)
Summary: Zeke and Howell take a tumble.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
When I Fall
I woke in the dark, and everything hurt.
“Jones?”
It was quiet, and I could smell something- gasoline and blood. That couldn’t be good. I tried to move and winced as my ribs protested. What was going on?
“Jones, can you hear me?”
My eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and I could see that I was in a small space… a car, a police squad car. But why was everything upside-down?
“Hezekia, if you don’t answer me in the next five seconds…”
The car must have crashed. But I hadn’t been driving. I was never allowed to drive, so that meant-
“Howell,” I croaked.
I realized there was a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see my partner kneeling outside the car, scowling through the broken passenger window, but when I spoke, his expression softened.
“Report, rookie,” he snapped, a lot less forcefully than he usually did.
“Ow,” I managed, wincing again as I tried to turn toward him, then frowned. “You’re hurt, sir.”
His expression then might actually have been called a smile, even by an outside observer. “Cuts and bruises. Can you move?”
Given what I’d tried already, I figured that it would hurt, but I knew Howell wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I needed to get out of the car, and he probably couldn’t get me out by himself. My ribs protested as I twisted, but all of my limbs still seemed to function properly.
“Good, good,” said Howell, and I realized that if I could move myself, he wouldn’t have to worry as much about hurting me while we were getting me out. “Now, can you reach your seatbelt? I’ll catch you.”
He would. If there was one thing I’d learned about my partner, it was that he was reliable. If he said he’d back you up, he would.
“Jones?”
“Sorry, sir.” I found the buckle of my seatbelt and rested my thumb against it. “Ready.”
Howell slid one large hand beneath my shoulders and the other under my thighs. Some other time, I’d have bad a crack about ‘bad touches’ but just then, I found it reassuring.
I pushed the seatbelt release and fell. Howell caught my weight easily, even at that weird angle through the window, and he pulled me out of the car.
He stood me upright, and I wobbled, but managed to keep my feet. Now that we were out in the moonlight, I could see my partner better. He had some pretty nasty scrapes along both arms, and a cut across his nose, but he seemed otherwise okay.
“What happened?” he asked.
“We were forced off the road,” my partner growled.
I looked at our ruined car, then up at the road. We were at the bottom of a quarry pit , and the crumpled guard rail was disconcertingly high above us.
“We fell all that way?” I asked, a little stunned.
Howell frowned and put a hand under my chin. “Jones, what’s the last thing you remember?”
“We were in pursuit of Watkins’s car,” I said. “One of his passengers shot at us, I returned fire and-” I made a ‘car goes off a cliff’ gesture, but got a little carried away and overbalanced.
Howell caught me again, scowling. “Radios don’t work down here. We’ll have to get higher up before we call it in. Can you make it, rookie?”
I looked at the long dirt track, scored and cracked from where our car had hit it, then down at the firm grip Howell had on my elbow.
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
THE END
Current Mood:
snowed in