A Night to Die For

Mario

A car approaches. But not just any car. When he spots me, standing next to my little Nissan pickup, he turns on his flashing red and blue lights.

There isn t much traffic out here, especially late at night. No houses nearby either. This section of Wessinger Road has just two lanes and then grass with lots of tall fir trees farther back. The ditch is a few feet deep, and that s where the girl s body lies, fully clothed in a red dress and heels. My whole body is shaking. I take a deep breath and roll my shoulders back, telling myself to relax.

The deputy gets out of the car and shines a light on me. You all right, son?

I cross my arms in front of my stomach and hope I can keep it together. I was driving by and saw something in the ditch. I couldn t tell what it was. I got out and shined the flashlight on my phone down there. Just as I saw it was a girl, you pulled up.

The beam from his flashlight moves from me to her. Oh, no. He starts running down into the ditch. He yells up at me, You sure you didn t hit her? With your vehicle?

No. I mean, yeah. I m sure! I didn t hit her, I swear, I call back. I just found her there.

He s down there for only a minute before he s radioing for help. Dispatch, I ve got a female juvenile and she s unconscious with no pulse. Send medical, code three and extra units. Location is Wessinger Road, just south of Hart Road. Her skin is tacky. I m starting CPR.

I pace the side of the road. Back and forth. Back and forth. I keep wondering if there s something I should be doing, but he told me to stay put.

After a few minutes have passed, I yell out, Is it working?

He doesn t answer.

A minute later, I hear the sirens. A fire truck and an ambulance pull up, and a few seconds later, another deputy. I stand back and watch as everyone moves into action.

When the original deputy climbs back up the steep embankment a while later, he

Lisa Schroeder is the author of numerous books for kids and teens. Her first novel, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, was an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Lisa lives with her family in Oregon.
 
You can follow her online at lisaschroederbooks.com and at @lisa_schroeder on Twitter.