Touched by the Fear

[1]

Mid-June.

Behind the metal fence was a graveyard. Cars of all makes and models were haphazardly placed throughout the lot, all bearing the signs of their premature deaths. Hollis Griffin stared straight ahead, her green eyes scanning the twisted heaps of metal and broken glass. There were so many tragedies in this confined space that just broke her heart. She took in every dent, every missing piece and let out a shaky breath, her eyes frozen on the scene before her. A strong hand placed itself on her shoulder just then and, she turned to face her dad, Grant, who somberly stood beside her.

He offered her a weak smile as he, too, looked out at the sea of wrecked cars. "The guys checking to see where the car is," he informed her.

She nodded. A wave of nausea and nerves passed through her. In just a few minutes, she would see the car that had shattered her whole world. She was anything but ready.

A few silent minutes passed by, the hot California sun beating down on them. Neither said a word, not that there was much to say. She stole a few glances at the man who she used to call 'dad' but he was no longer that to her; instead, the man beside her was a stranger, a ghost. After six long years of silence, he returned to Beacon Hills. The death of her mom and stepdad brought him back but she had no idea if he would stick around or for how long. Part of her believed he would leave just like he did all those years ago.

The sound of keys jingling brought Hollis back to the present.

"Alright, folks, I got it!" A middle-aged man said with more liveliness than she thought acceptable for the situation. His cheerfulness irritated her, and she threw an annoyed look in his direction. He clearly missed it because he strode towards the locked fence. "It was in a stack of papers so I had to do some diggin' but I found it."

The sound of the gate opening reached her ears, and her breath hitched in her throat. This is it, she thought, forcing her legs to move. She felt numb. She wasn't ready but, then again, it wasn't something someone could prepare for.

The space between each car was narrow; the whole lot felt maze-like as they maneuvered through the tight spaces.

"Well, it's around here somewhere," the guy said, scratching his head. He turned around in a circle, looking down at the piece of paper he held in his hands. "Aha, there it is!" His exuberant shout made it seem as if they had just found lost treasure.

Again, Hollis felt irritated with him but when her eyes followed to where he pointed, her heart sank.

The sight before her caused Hollis to stop dead. The black Honda was almost unrecognizable. If it wasn't for the silly Snow White sticker on the back passenger window than Hollis would never have guessed that this had been her mother's car. What stood before her now was a dented and misshapen mass; chunks of the windshield were missing, the grill was practically on the ground and the hood mimicked an accordion. The back was just as bad.

A pang of heartache so hard hit her that she almost doubled over. Flashes of the accident raced through her mind, memories that she permanently wanted to file away. But here she stood, looking at the biggest reminder of that night.

Just then, her lungs felt constricted. Hollis tried to take in a deep breath but she couldn't. Her heart thudded against her chest so fast and loud that she thought it would explode. Closing her eyes, Hollis counted her short breaths, willing her lungs to cooperate. One in, one out, she repeated in her mind, trying to get through her panic attack. Seconds that felt more like hours passed but, finally, she could feel a small amount of air enter. The world stopped spinning and her heart seemed to slow, although it was still beating fast.