1 BASELINE

INTERSTATE ROAD, CALIFORNIA

" No son of mine will be a sissy!"

"I am not a sissy. I am a man.!"

"Prove it. Date Rebecca!"

"I don't like girls dad. How many times do we have to talk about this? I don't like girls. I like bo…"

"PAH!"

"Daad!"

Ellen screamed. She has never seen her father like that and it scared her a great deal.

Daniel had removed his hand from the steering and slapped his 15-year-old son across the face. Silence reigned in the car as it sped off on the long interstate road unchallenged.

"Stop. I want to get down."

"Alfred, can you please calm down? I am really scared." Ellen whimpered at her brother. Her face started to tear up. But Alfred was too angry to hear her. He just got slapped and that was all he could think of. No one had ever slapped him before.

"Dad, please stop the car. I am not going with you again. Stop the car dad! ….STOP THE DAMN CAR!"

Alfred screamed In his father's face, making him lose his cool.

"ALL RIGHT YOU BASTARD! "

Daniel angrily swerved the car off the road while still shouting in Alfred's face.

"DAD! NO!" Ellen screamed but her voice was swallowed up as iron rushed iron and gravity took over.

"CRASH...CRASH...CRASH...CRASH.

The car had hit the railing of a small bridge, went through and kept flipping. It didn't stop rolling until it got to the floor of the valley filled with lush, big and old trees.

Alfred saw it all but there was nothing he could do to stop Ellen's body from flying out the window that was shattered when it connected with the edge of the iron rail. Or his father's head that kept hitting the steering wheel as motion took his hands and led him in a ball dance, throwing him around the car like a ping pong ball. One moment his back hit the windscreen, the next moment, he was head booting the middle of the back seat where Ellen was supposed to be.

When the car stopped rolling, Alfred was disoriented and out of breath but the sight of his father's brain's matter, scattered all over the front seat, windscreen and steering wheel, cleared up his brain.

" He is dead! He is dead! He is dead!" He kept screaming In his head. He wanted to move but his body seemed to be trapped and the scream in his head was stuck in his throat.

"BOOM!"

The combustion sound broke through the spell that held him in place and he started moving. He went to his Dad and started trying to drag him out as smoke started oozing out of the front bonnet, filling the car up. Then he discovered that the seat belt was stuck and wouldn't come loose. He opened the front cabinet and quickly brought out a small pocket knife. He started sawing at the seat belt but the knife was blunt and couldn't do much.

Smoke had gotten to him and he couldn't hold on to his breath anymore. He started coughing. He had to get out. He needed air. His eyes sting.

Alfred tried the front door on his side but it didn't open so he quickly found his way to the back of the car and squeezed himself through the broken window. By the time he got free of the car, he was too weak and could only roll away from all the smoke.

"Haaaa." Air at last.

It was small but it made a difference. A very painful difference as he forced in more. He laid on his back and opened his eyes. The height of the dark smoke spiralling into the sky could have gone unnoticed as the night was moonless, but a small fire had ignited, followed the air and found its way out of the bonnet. Burning from the gap created by the crash impact.

"So much smoke. Why is there so much smoke?"

Puzzled, Alfred turned to the car and all he saw was smoke. Where is the car?!

"Dad!"

He stood up and started trying to make his way to the car but he could hardly move. Everything hurts. Dad! Wait!

"KABOOM!!!"

The first explosion carried him off the ground and hit his back against a white oak tree. When he landed on his face, he felt no pain but everything became slow. There was a buzzing sound in his ear. He turned his head and watched as the car exploded two more times, lightning up the dense forest like the aftermath of heavy rainfall.

"Ellen!"

CREST CITY, CALIFORNIA

Camille had a long day. So she went to bed early as the next day already promised to belong to. Therefore, when her phone started ringing at 12:48 am, she considered not picking it and swiftly switched it off.

Then the house phone started ringing.

"What the duck?!" She grumbled before gathering all the strength in her aching bones and slipping out of bed, legs first. If only Daniel had listened to her and fixed an extension in their bedrooms…..

This was the exact reason why he refused to. So you did get out of bed in the middle of the night if there was an emergency and you switched off your damn phone like the negligent mother and nurse that you are.

She scoffed at herself as she wobbled to the sitting room barefooted and half asleep.

She yanked the annoying phone off the wall and slouched to the ground.

"Hello." She mumbled.

"Camieeeee!" Grandma's voice rumbled in distress into her ears.

Cammie felt all the hair on her body standing straight as a cold sensation raced up her spine and wrapped itself around her heart, making her chest ache and her breathing frantic.

"Maa. What is it? Why are you crying? What happened?"

" Cammiieeeee!"

" Maa, talk to me. What is it?"

She heard static sounds as someone took the phone away from her mother.

"Camie, it's me Norman."

" Norman. What happened? Why are you at our house at this time?"

" Camie, listen to me. Where are you?"

" Where would I be Norman? I am at my house. Can you just tell me what is going on?"

" Hmmm…..There has been an accident. You need to go to Riverbed City Center Hospital tomorrow for…."

"What do you mean? Who had an accident? Daniel! Daniel! Where is my husband? Why are you the one talking to me? Norman? What happened to my daughter?!"

"Camie, you have to calm down. It wasn't Ellen. Daniel had an accident on his way back home a few hours ago."

"I don't understand. How? I…. You know what, I am on my way!"

Camille ended the call and raced to her room, ignoring the house phone that had started ringing again.

Getting to her room, she grabbed her car keys and headed for the garage. Getting into her rustic red Rav4, she zoomed into the street at full speed. Her tyres revved loudly, waking up a few of her new neighbours.

RIVERBED COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Riverbed City Central Hospital. (RCCH)

"I told you not to call her!"

Norman stared down at Grandma Dorcas, a 5:2ft, plum, grumpy-looking woman in her late Fifties.

"Why shouldn't I call her?...." She retorted unrepentantly. " …...How can you ask me to wait till morning before telling her that her husband and daughter are dead? How?!"

"She is 5 hours away, Dorcas! How will she get here in that condition? Why are you so irrational?"

Norman clenched his fist and moved away from the weeping old lady. If she was a man, he would have punched her.

The door to the surgery room suddenly opened and a nurse stepped out. Norman quickly hurried to her.

"How is it going pleased?"

" Everything is fine. You have nothing to worry about." The nurse replied and walked briskly away.

" Of course. There is nothing to worry about. Even if the whole world goes up in flames, that bastard will still survive. All he does is bring bad luck to everyone."

"Dorcas!" Norman grunted angrily.

"That is your grandson."

Grandma scoffed and started walking away.

"I will wait at the main cafeteria. There is nothing to do here." She threw over her shoulder.

"What a witch!" Norman muttered to himself.

CREST CITY, CALIFORNIA

Interstate road

Sergeant Lukman was taking a leak by the roadside when he felt a whirlwind swipe past him. By the time he turned, all he could see was the taillight of a very fast car. Forgetting about the call of nature, he grabbed his radio and notified his patrol partner who immediately told him that he was already working on it. Lukman jumped on his patrol bike and zoomed in the direction of the taillight with his siren blaring.

For 10 minutes they were still chasing the car and had already called for backup when it suddenly slowed down and parked. Instantly, four police cars surrounded it and policemen at gun ready carefully approached.

Lukman got off his bike with his gun in one hand and a big, bright torchlight in the other.

"This is the police. Let me see your hands."

Whoever was in the car raised their hands, showing them through the window.

" I am approaching now. Take it easy."

Lukman got to the car and shone his light into the car. When he saw a middle-age lady with blood spotted, puffy eyes and dishevelled hair, in a nightgown behind the wheel, crying silently, he was mildly shocked but quickly recovered. He brought out his ID and showed it to her.

" Gently open your door and step out ma'am."

The lady complied even though the tears didn't stop streaming down her cheeks.

By the time the lady stepped out and he saw that she was barefooted, Lukman concluded that it was a druggie case.

"Step away from the car please."

He led her away from the front while others quickly started searching the car.

"What's your name?'

" My name is Camille Tunes. I am 35 years old….i…" She gasped and used her hand to wipe snot off her nose. Lukman brought out a pad and pen.

"Camille right?"

She nodded. At least she still seemed lucid.

"Where are you going at this time of the night…..'

" Please, you have to help me!"

She suddenly jerked out of her trance-like state, making Lukman go for his gun as he took a step back.

"Hey!!"

"I am sorry...I am sorry...please I need to get to Riverbed by morning. My husband was in an accident. Please. I have to go please." Camille started ranting frantically.

Lukman was not convinced.

" I will like to check your alcohol level ma'am, so please calm down…."

I am not drunk. I am not drunk. I just need to go...okay it's a ticket, right? Write it. Just let me go!" Camille started wailing hysterically, frightening the officers.

Lukman's partner walked up to him and whispered in his ears.

"The car is clean. And I think she is a nurse at the General hospital."

He showed Lukman, Camellia's ID.

"Stay with her. I want to run some references."

"Okay." The partner replied and Lukman walked a little away from them.

He dialled a number on his phone and it was picked on the first ring.

"What can I do for your black ass?"

" Hello to you too, jackass. Are you on duty tonight?"

"No. But I am working anyway. You know how it is."

" Good. I heard there was an accident over there"

"No shit. It was terrible. Father and two kids. One survived and is in surgery right now."

" No shit. Is one of them called Daniel?"

" Errm, let me check..,.I don't know but the family name is Tunes."

" No shit! Thanks, bro. I gat to go!" Lukman ended the call.

Fuck! There was no way he was letting this woman drive ao Riverbed like this. He made another call

"911, what is your emergency?"

" This is patrol team 482. I have a hysterical woman on interstate 74."

" Okay mate, help is on the way."

"Thank you."

He ended the call and walked over to camellia who was sitting at the back of the patrol car in a daze. She gave up after Lukman's partner had put her in cuffs.

Not knowing what to say to her, Lukman turned away and faced the backup they had called. He thanked and dismissed them before joining his partner who was already behind the wheels.

"What's up?" The partner asked.

"Whole family was in an accident. Only the son survived." Lukman whispered to his partner, making sure camellia doesn't hear him.

"Jeez! No wonder."

" We will wait for 911. She needs to be watched."

"Sure."

The partner kicked the car and made a U-turn, returning to their previous patrol point.