Flames and Terror (Quinn, Eamon)
They were celebrating. The shelter was almost kind of close to almost opening, and Quinn and Eamon didn't need much to convince them to celebrate anyway. They had gone out for a nice lunch, Eamon's treat because he had been paid. Eamon was driving Quinn's slightly decrepit car, and Quinn was pleasantly drunk in the passenger seat, which turned out to be to his extreme benefit. It meant he was quite limp and relaxed on impact.
The accident was not Eamon's fault. Even the police who showed up on the scene later convinced him of this. A yellow mercedes avoided stopping at a stop sign and careened into traffic, colliding with Quinn's side of the car. The impact sent Eamon into the opposite lane, where a lorry narrowly missed ramming them head on by wildly swerving off the road where it crashed into a tree; effectively demolishing the tree and the lorry.
Had it simply been a trifecta of automobile demolition, the situation may have ended differently. There was one more factor in the fray, however, and when the fourth car careened into the back of the lorry that was when the fire started.
Upon impact, Eamon's head had cracked against the dashboard, and his chest and smashed up against the steering wheel with bruising force. Quinn's car was too old for piddly things like air bags. Eamon felt consciousness try to leave him, but he fought the swirling gray, even though every moment the black didn't envelop him was one of pain. There was a sense of urgency somewhere in the back of his mind. Behind him, the sounds of crunching metal and twisting plastic silenced and somehow that was scarier.
Eamon opened his eyes, and then he lifted a shaking hand to wipe away the blood which trailed down his head and into his eye. "Q...Quinn?" Eamon turned his head to try to locate his brother. Quinn was slumped against the side door, which was crumpled into him. Blood seeped from his shoulder.
He looks dead.
"Quinn!" Eamon reached down and he fought with his seatbelt with unwilling hands. His chest ached and his head pounded against his skull, and still he moved. He managed to get the seatbelt off, and he tried to open the door. It was stuck shut, but he was able to roll the window down, because thankfully it was a manual handle. With the window down, he was able, only just, to lift himself out of the car and through the window. His legs ached when he managed to stand, bruised from where the lap belt had held him to the seat during impact. Eamon glanced around at the wreckage, still groggy. He had to get Quinn out. There were pieces of car everywhere, and all around was what should have been chaos. But there was nothing.
Where is everyone...?
The Eamon turned around, and he saw the flames. The heat hadn't yet reached him because the fire was still small. Eamon could see that it was moving towards the lorry and once it reached the petrol tank, they were done for. That was where everyone was. They weren't milling around the accident scene because if they did, they would blow all to hell.
"QUINN!" Eamon sprinted around to the passenger side, adrenaline now numbing his pain, heightening his senses. "SHIT!" Eamon tried to pull the door open, but like his own, it was stuck fast. The window was smashed and from this angle, he could see that some of the glass had embedded itself in Quinn's arm and that was why he was bleeding. "Oh god, oh god."
With the fire spreading, Eamon leaned into the car, and he struggled to locate Quinn's lap belt in the crumpled mess that was Quinn's side of the car. Behind him, he barely heard sirens and shouting voices because none of it mattered. Quinn was all that mattered. Eamon didn't even know if he was alive.
The end of the seatbelt was trapped in twisted metal. Eamon was unable to locate it and even if he did, he wouldn't have been able to free Quinn. Quinn was stuck fast. "Shit! Shit!" This was not happening. He was not losing his brother. Not again. And not after Theresa.
Frantically, Eamon started pulling at the seatbelt as the flames rose, trying to stretch it out so he could pull Quinn from it, but the impact had tightened the belt as well, and it wouldn't stretch any further. Eamon heard voices behind him, coming closer; he gave up on the seatbelt and he tried to pull Quinn's arm instead. "Quinn, please!" Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, but he was too frantic to keep up the crying any further. The fire grew closer and it started to burn at Eamon's skin, but he ignored it, continuing his struggle to free his brother.
"Sir, step away from the vehicle!"
Eamon whirled around to see that he was being ordered around by a fireman. They had turned a hose on the rising flames, which now produced immense heat. The fire was still heading towards the lorry, but if it could be controlled, an explosion might be avoided. To Eamon, that was a moot point. His brother was still unconscious, bleeding heavily, and trapped in a car which was very close to a fire, which was certainly a danger just by proximity. "NO!" Eamon continued to try to pull Quinn free, until he was pulled back by three men while another stepped forward and simply cut through the seatbelt to free Quinn.
Quinn slipped forward, but he was caught up a paramedic, and lifted from the car. Eamon pulled his arms out of the grips of the men holding him, and he rushed forward. "Is he okay!? Is he breathing?!"
"Sir, we have to get you away from the fire!" The shouting fell on deaf ears because Eamon had noted something while his eyes were glued to his brother.
Quinn was breathing.
Relief swept through Eamon, and even though he had no idea if Quinn was alright beyond that, he was alive. The adrenaline coursing through Eamon's veins overwhelmed him and the pain returned full force. As he was being manhandled away from the car Eamon fainted, face first, just as a burst of flames roared out from the burning car-
The accident was not Eamon's fault. Even the police who showed up on the scene later convinced him of this. A yellow mercedes avoided stopping at a stop sign and careened into traffic, colliding with Quinn's side of the car. The impact sent Eamon into the opposite lane, where a lorry narrowly missed ramming them head on by wildly swerving off the road where it crashed into a tree; effectively demolishing the tree and the lorry.
Had it simply been a trifecta of automobile demolition, the situation may have ended differently. There was one more factor in the fray, however, and when the fourth car careened into the back of the lorry that was when the fire started.
Upon impact, Eamon's head had cracked against the dashboard, and his chest and smashed up against the steering wheel with bruising force. Quinn's car was too old for piddly things like air bags. Eamon felt consciousness try to leave him, but he fought the swirling gray, even though every moment the black didn't envelop him was one of pain. There was a sense of urgency somewhere in the back of his mind. Behind him, the sounds of crunching metal and twisting plastic silenced and somehow that was scarier.
Eamon opened his eyes, and then he lifted a shaking hand to wipe away the blood which trailed down his head and into his eye. "Q...Quinn?" Eamon turned his head to try to locate his brother. Quinn was slumped against the side door, which was crumpled into him. Blood seeped from his shoulder.
He looks dead.
"Quinn!" Eamon reached down and he fought with his seatbelt with unwilling hands. His chest ached and his head pounded against his skull, and still he moved. He managed to get the seatbelt off, and he tried to open the door. It was stuck shut, but he was able to roll the window down, because thankfully it was a manual handle. With the window down, he was able, only just, to lift himself out of the car and through the window. His legs ached when he managed to stand, bruised from where the lap belt had held him to the seat during impact. Eamon glanced around at the wreckage, still groggy. He had to get Quinn out. There were pieces of car everywhere, and all around was what should have been chaos. But there was nothing.
Where is everyone...?
The Eamon turned around, and he saw the flames. The heat hadn't yet reached him because the fire was still small. Eamon could see that it was moving towards the lorry and once it reached the petrol tank, they were done for. That was where everyone was. They weren't milling around the accident scene because if they did, they would blow all to hell.
"QUINN!" Eamon sprinted around to the passenger side, adrenaline now numbing his pain, heightening his senses. "SHIT!" Eamon tried to pull the door open, but like his own, it was stuck fast. The window was smashed and from this angle, he could see that some of the glass had embedded itself in Quinn's arm and that was why he was bleeding. "Oh god, oh god."
With the fire spreading, Eamon leaned into the car, and he struggled to locate Quinn's lap belt in the crumpled mess that was Quinn's side of the car. Behind him, he barely heard sirens and shouting voices because none of it mattered. Quinn was all that mattered. Eamon didn't even know if he was alive.
The end of the seatbelt was trapped in twisted metal. Eamon was unable to locate it and even if he did, he wouldn't have been able to free Quinn. Quinn was stuck fast. "Shit! Shit!" This was not happening. He was not losing his brother. Not again. And not after Theresa.
Frantically, Eamon started pulling at the seatbelt as the flames rose, trying to stretch it out so he could pull Quinn from it, but the impact had tightened the belt as well, and it wouldn't stretch any further. Eamon heard voices behind him, coming closer; he gave up on the seatbelt and he tried to pull Quinn's arm instead. "Quinn, please!" Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, but he was too frantic to keep up the crying any further. The fire grew closer and it started to burn at Eamon's skin, but he ignored it, continuing his struggle to free his brother.
"Sir, step away from the vehicle!"
Eamon whirled around to see that he was being ordered around by a fireman. They had turned a hose on the rising flames, which now produced immense heat. The fire was still heading towards the lorry, but if it could be controlled, an explosion might be avoided. To Eamon, that was a moot point. His brother was still unconscious, bleeding heavily, and trapped in a car which was very close to a fire, which was certainly a danger just by proximity. "NO!" Eamon continued to try to pull Quinn free, until he was pulled back by three men while another stepped forward and simply cut through the seatbelt to free Quinn.
Quinn slipped forward, but he was caught up a paramedic, and lifted from the car. Eamon pulled his arms out of the grips of the men holding him, and he rushed forward. "Is he okay!? Is he breathing?!"
"Sir, we have to get you away from the fire!" The shouting fell on deaf ears because Eamon had noted something while his eyes were glued to his brother.
Quinn was breathing.
Relief swept through Eamon, and even though he had no idea if Quinn was alright beyond that, he was alive. The adrenaline coursing through Eamon's veins overwhelmed him and the pain returned full force. As he was being manhandled away from the car Eamon fainted, face first, just as a burst of flames roared out from the burning car-