The Accident.

Catherine moved her finger before, her eyes opened slowly. Her head felt very head and was aching badly. She looked around and saw herself tied to a chair inside Sally's underground basement where they usually hit to take drugs.

 She started shaking vigorously to untie or loosen the ropes but nothing happened. Everywhere was eerily quiet and it seemed it was already dusk. 

A little electric bulb gave light to the basement, she looked around but didn't find sally. She checked beside her and saw that the bag of money, her cell phone, and her expensive diamond watch was gone. 

She remembered Sally saying about going to the club tonight, maybe she has left alongside her money properties which she would sell off cheaply to be able to buy drugs. 

Catherine saw a pen knife placed on a table from a distance, she started leaping and pushing herself forward to the table and would stop whenever she felt tired, bit by bit, she got close to the table, stretched her neck forward, and used her teeth to take the penknife, she let go of it and it dropped on her laps, she forcefully brought her right hand upwards to her laps and took the knife before dropping her hands again when she couldn't endure the pains she was feeling. 

Luckily for her, Sally didn't tie the tropes very strongly so it was easier for her to cut them and free herself, she stood up quickly when she cut off the ropes tied on her legs. She rushed to the stairs and started heading out. She got to the front door but it was locked. She thought about what to do and remembered that Sally had extra keys kept inside a closet in her room.

 Catherine ran towards her room and started searching everywhere not minding the ugly smell that was coming from it. She heard a car drive into the compound and rushed towards the window, she saw Sally and her psychopath boyfriend coming out of an unknown.

 Catherine's heart leaped out of her chest, she opened the window of the room when held the front door open, and jumped out. She ran out towards her car and started trying to open it. It didn't take long before she saw Sally and her boyfriend running towards her. 

Catherine started shivering with fear knowing fully well what would become of her if she is captured again. She remembered that she hid an extra key inside her packed hair before leaving the house earlier, she always did that whenever her father is around so that if he refuses her from taking the car keys from the place it is being kept, she would still go out with the particular car that she hid the key in the end. He refused to buy a car for her because of her recklessness. 

Catherine quickly loosened her hair and took the key. She opened the car door and jumped inside the driver's seat quickly before locking it. She started the car and zoomed off before Sally and her boyfriend could come any closer.

"She escaped, we have to leave immediately," Sally said to her boyfriend. They ran back inside to pack their valuables.

Catherine couldn't stop crying as she drove home, all her irrelevant and irresponsible behavior started flashing in her memories. She started regretting all the meaningless actions that hadn't taken her anywhere but had only caused damage to her. 

As of earlier last year, she was a rehab patient because of the effects of the drugs the men Sally handed her, injected into her system just to have their way, that unfaithful day, she didn't allow Thomas to follow her out. 

She regretted believing Sally when she came back crying to her that she regrets everything after she got well and was discharged. Now, her father is angry with her, her responsibilities have caused an issue between her ever-loving parents. 

Catherine decided to change, she is going to apologize to everyone including Thomas, and become a better person now that she has gotten another chance to amend her ways. She decided to make the second choice that has been provided for her to make her life responsible and worth living. More tears flooded down her face as she remembered her mother's pleas, even with her I'll behaviors, her mother had never treated her badly, she always supported and covered up for her, hoping that she would change and become a better person someday.  

The traffic light showed red, indicating that all the vehicles should wait, Catherine checked the time, it was almost past midnight; it is only a few cars that could be seen, when the traffic light shone green, other cars started moving but Catherine felt her whole body paralyzed, she couldn't move any part of her body anymore, the cars at her back started honking out loud indicating that she should move but she couldn't because she was paralyzed. 

She started hearing a deafeningly loud sound inside her eyes and her head started aching so badly, everything started spinning and turning around in her eyes. 

Catherine started screaming as she felt as if her head was about to burst open before it stopped. A huge truck was coming in. distance suddenly lost control due to a bike that ran zigzag in front of it before disappearing into the night's darkness. 

The truck started heading directly toward Catherine's car, Catherine saw it coming but couldn't do anything, she started yelling out more aloud until the truck crashed into her car and everything became blank.

*

An ambulance with a loud siren could be heard driving inside the city hospital, uniform nurses and two doctors pushed a lady on a stretcher into the emergency theater, while different nurses hurried about going inside the theater with one thing or the other.

"Calm down honey, everything is under control," Mr. Byers said, trying to make his wife who was pacing about sit down at a place.

"How can you say that when our daughter got into a fatal accident and is badly injured," Mrs. Byers said.

"I'm equally worried too, but this is not the way you are meant to behave, you are supposed to be strong and hope for the better," Mr. Byers said.

"Please leave me alone, only if you let her be, all this wouldn't have happened," Mrs. Byers said and broke down into tears.

"This is not the time to argue with you, it was never my fault," Mr. Byers said and walked towards where she sat on the floor crying and held her.

"Leave me alone," Mrs. Byers said trying to fight off her husband's grip but Mr. Byers didn't let go, he raised her and led her to the chair he was sitting on. He sat her down and placed her head on his lap.

"Everything is going to be alright, we ain't going to lose our daughter," Mr. Byers assured.

"If only she listened, if only I didn't play along with her recklessness, maybe she would have changed a long time ago and this wouldn't have happened," Mrs. Byers said, sobbing bitterly.

"It is okay, no more blames, let's just pray for her," Mr. Byers said, stroking his wife's hair.

Thomas stood a bit far from the grieving couple, thinking about everything. How he has been forced to cover up for all of these evil things Catherine did for years. 

He remembered warning her about her lifestyle and its consequences and tried to tell her to change only for Catherine to slap him and say nasty things to him earlier yesterday morning when she wanted to leave. He remembered how many countless times he got beaten because of her, how many times he risked his life because of her. 

"If only she listened," he said in his heart. He didn't know how Catherine got to know Sally but when he started working in their house as her bodyguard four years ago, Catherine wasn't spoiled to the extent she was before she got into this accident. 

He watched her go to a rehabilitation center when she started going crazy due to the intake of different drugs introduced to her by Sally. His heart was hurt so badly and he wished he could protect her from the evil influence and dangers of the world. Whenever she was in her right senses, she was always a caring and humble sweet soul, she had never treated him badly except when she was drunk or high on drugs. 

Just two nights ago she kissed him for the first time, even if it wasn't the first time she had confessed to him whenever she was drunk. A tear slid down Thomas's cheek and he cleaned it up quickly as he grieved dearly in his heart, whatever happened that led to the accident, he didn't care, all he knows is that Sally would pay dearly for everything. He would make her pay, he promised inside his heart.

After the surgery was over, Catherine was transferred to a ward. One of the doctors that did the surgery invited Mr. and Mrs. Byers to his office.

"She is in a critical condition right now. All the bones in her lower body were broken and we don't know when she would wake up," the doctor revealed.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Byers asked with wide eyes.

"It is okay honey," Mr. Byers said and held her hand.

"It will take a long time because she is in a vegetative state, I hope she survives it, the chance to do so is very slim. We also found a mind-altering dangerous drug in her system, maybe that was what led to the accident," the doctor said.

"Oh, my God! Catherine," Mrs. Byers yelled, more tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you, doctor," Mr. Byers said.

"Don't worry much, we will try all our best to make sure she survives and wakes up, but if she survives it, I'm not sure she will be able to walk again," the doctor said, which made Mrs. Byers start crying more bitterly.

"Thank you, doctor," Mr. Byers said again and helped his wife up to her feet while she leaned on him. His heart was aching badly but he held everything in, not ready to break down in front of his wife.

"You can go and see her," the doctor said again before he got busy with other files lying in front of him. Mr. Byers left with his wife to the ward where Catherine was kept. They met Thomas sitting beside Catherine looking very sober, when he saw them walk towards him, he quickly sprang up to his feet before bowing.

"You can stay for the meantime," Mr. Byers said when Thomas wanted to leave, which kept him back. Mrs. Byers sat beside Catherine crying uncontrollably while Mr. Byers looked downwards. 

He couldn't still believe that his healthy daughter left home yesterday and would be in a state like this, this morning; Banged on the head, hands, feet, thighs, almost everywhere with oxygen attached to her nostrils looking lifeless. 

He tried as a father would, he knows... maybe if he tried harder, she wouldn't have ended up like this. He stood up and left outside to clear his head which was almost full before he broke down in front of his crying wife. 

He knows that Thomas wouldn't allow his wife to do anything stupid until he comes back, at least that assured him the most.