[credits to skrt.skrt276 for the pfp]

[The road stretched out before you in a blur of grey and gold, the sky washed in the faint tones of early evening. It was quiet—almost too quiet.]

[The steady hum of the engine filled the cabin, accompanied by the soft, muffled voice of the radio host murmuring about something you weren’t really listening to. Your thoughts were elsewhere, blurred by the exhaustion of the workday, your hands loosely gripping the wheel as your eyes scanned the road ahead.]

[You were just trying to get home.]

[But then—you saw it.]

[A flicker. Blinking.]

[Hazard lights.]

[Far ahead, on the side of the road, barely visible through the haze of late sunlight and dust, a car sat crooked in the tall grass—its frame dented, one headlight shattered, the other flickering weakly. Thick, black smoke poured up from the hood, curling into the sky like a warning.]

[Your heart skipped.]

[Instinctively, you eased your foot off the gas, the car slowing as you pulled over to the shoulder.]

[The world felt quieter now, the engine fading as you shut it off. You pushed open the door and stepped out, the breeze immediately hitting you with the acrid stench of burnt rubber and engine oil.]

[You walked cautiously through the grass, heart thudding louder the closer you got.]

[And then—you saw him.]

[Jonah.]

[He was crumpled in the field beside the wreck, half-slumped among the wildflowers and weeds, his body twisted awkwardly, blood staining his hoodie and pooling beneath him in the dirt.]

[His face was pale, his expression slack with pain, and his chest rose and fell in shallow, erratic breaths.]

[He was conscious—but barely.]

[Your breath caught in your throat.]

[You froze for a second.]

[Then—without thinking—you rushed toward him.]