Chapter 2

“Oh, shit,” he said out loud.

“What?” the lady across the aisle from him asked.

“Car—”

The car, a Mustang he thought, slammed into his side of the bus with enough impact to cause his fellow passengers to scream. His teeth clacked together. It spun around clockwise, slid right back toward them, hitting another car, and going airborne as it went. Kirk’s heart slammed against his ribs. He should do something, he didn’t know what, but he watched in horror as the Mustang sailed into the side of the bus near the top. People were screaming and flying around him as the bus tilted and flipped over onto its side. He tried to grip the seat and then the world went dark.

* * * *

Kirk blinked open his eyes. His head hurt…like hell. He lifted a hand and felt his forehead. Wet. Blood. Still it didn’t seem so bad. He lay there for a moment, trying to get his bearings, listening to the moans and weeping of his fellow passengers.

God.

His back was twisted and he lay against the cracked window that had been on the opposite side when the bus was upright. He didn’t know what happened to the woman who had been sitting in that seat next to the window.

Calm, Kirk. See if you can move all your limbs.

He didn’t seem to be trapped under anything. He straightened his back and moved his legs. Everything seemed to work. His arms, too. Blowing out a breath, he struggled to sit up. Broken glass and twisted metal were everywhere. Rain poured inside the wrecked bus from the broken windows above him. But…he was alive. And wet.

His nerd. Where was he? His head pounding and his heart pulsing hard, Kirk crawled to the next seat over. Bodies were littered around him. But he wasn’t sure if they were dead or injured. In the distance sirens wailed. Frustrated because he had no name to call out, he could only crawl in the general direction of where his nerd might have landed.

Should he first check on the couple of people he saw on the way? He should, shouldn’t he? Not that he was a medic or anything.

The woman who had been sitting in the seat across from him lay in a pile of debris. He stopped and stared down at her. Her neck was twisted at an angle it should not be. He reached for her wrist and attempted to feel a pulse.

“Fuck,” he whispered, convinced she was probably dead. “I’m sorry.”

Don’t panic, Kirk.

He carefully maneuvered past her until he saw the beige pants he’d earlier noticed his nerd wearing. He’d found him. Now he only hoped—

He was lying on his back, his legs a bit askew. One arm was tucked sort of underneath him and the other was above his head. Kirk crawled the last few inches to him and looked down. Sky blue eyes gazed at him from behind cracked glasses. Kirk removed the useless spectacles and stared into the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. Unfortunately, they were filled with pain and the look of confusion and terror in them made Kirk’s gut clench.

“I’m here,” he heard himself say. He couldn’t believe he was going to finally learn his nerd’s name and it was like this. “Can you tell me what your name is?”

The blue eyes blinked. “E-Elijah Cartwright.”

“Hi Elijah. I’m Kirk Matheson.” He tried to think of what he’d seen in movies and television. “Do you know where you are?”

“Bus.” Elijah’s gaze drifted up to the gash in Kirk’s head. “That looks painful.”

“It is a bit.” Actually it hurt like hell. “You can see? Even without your glasses?”

A ghost of a smile crossed Elijah’s full mouth. “This close, yes.”

“Where are you hurt? Can you tell?”

“Everywhere, I think. I feel like I’m a rag doll some child tossed about the room. What happened?”

“A car spun out and crashed into us. Rolled us over.” Kirk bit his lip. “Some people are dead. The lady who was sitting across the aisle from me. There might be others.”

“Did I hear sirens?” Elijah asked. His peaches and cream complexion had been marred by a cut and already a bluish-black mark formed on his cheek next to the cut. But Kirk’s nerd was breathtaking.

“Yes.” He noticed one ear bud still stuck in Elijah’s left ear. He pulled it out. “Everything’s going to be all right. I’m sure they’ll get us out of here soon.”

“Can-can you stay with me until they do?”

He managed a smile, somehow. “I’m not going anywhere, promise. Your arms hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Legs, too?”

“Yeah, though not as bad as my arms.”

Kirk hoped he didn’t have any internal injuries. “Anywhere else?”

“Everywhere. Are you a doctor?”

He laughed a little at that. “No, I’m a PA.”

“What’s that?”

“Personal assistant. My boss works at a company that teaches other companies about diversity.”

“Huh?”

“Human resources type stuff. She goes around the country giving classes at corporations. I go along and set up equipment and make sure she’s taken care of.”

Elijah nodded. “Gotcha.”

Kirk frowned when Elijah’s eyelids lowered. He didn’t like that. “What about you? Where do you work?”

“I’m an engineer. Environmental Science.”

“Oh, a smart guy, huh?”

Elijah’s lips curved. “I guess.”

“Is that your work computer you’re always on?”

“Yeah. Where is it? Can you see it?”

He glanced around the immediate area but saw no sign of it. “No. I’m sure it’s here somewhere. Hopefully it’s not thrashed.”

A loud crash just outside the bus caught his attention. He could hear radio communication, too. “I’m thinking they’re trying to get to us now.”

“S’good. I’m sleepy,” Elijah mumbled.