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Instead of taking the long way round to the parking lot where he'd left his car, David cut across the school’s nicely landscaped grounds. All was peaceful save the rustling noise of the breeze through the trees. It was a beautiful day. His footsteps took him upward as the gradient changed. Soon he was standing on a slight rise by a tree with a perfect view of State Street which ran parallel to the university.
His feet moved forward.
This section of campus was definitely not peaceful.
Traffic seems unusually heavy for this time of day, he thought, then he remembered the alert that had crossed his phone. Less than three miles away, the interstate was in chaos after a semi-truck overturned, spilling its load of roofing nails along the asphalt. All lanes were backed up in utter gridlock, cars were at a standstill.
That explains it, he thought frowning slightly. Everybody’s looking for an alternate route home. It was not a good day to be a motorist in the metro area.
From his new vantage point he spotted a shiny red BMW. The driver was hunched forward fiddling with something on the dashboard. David could just make out what looked like a large map. Must be a GPS, he mused.
“Uh oh, that’s not good,” he murmured, coming to a standstill. Engrossed. Carefully watching the cars.
The driver of the red Bimmer was focused on the nav-unit. He obviously didn't see the lady in the black Ford Escape twenty feet in front of him. She leaned forward quite suddenly, hand clearly grasping after her falling cellphone across the right front passenger seat. The woman ducked down below the window height.
Bet she’s trying to retrieve her phone off the floor, David reasoned.
Seconds later her head popped back up, her pale face looked out of the windshield again, eyes growing wide with evident alarm.
The cars in front of her had stopped.
David heard her holler, “YIKES!” in what must have been startlement --through the open window.
Luckily, the woman’s reaction was quick. Slamming on the brakes, she avoided a collision. The squeal of her tires was audible where David stood.
It apparently got the attention of the previously distracted BMW driver. A jolt of alarm flashed across the man’s fair features as his hazel eyes undoubtedly spotted the Ford’s red tail lights.
David shook his head, wincing slightly in anticipation of the sound of crashing metal. The red Bimmer was too close to brake effectively and avoid hitting the black SUV -- but there was no thud or the sound of twisting metal.
The driver did something much more reckless, swerving into the right lane. Apparently without looking.
A minivan with a collection of soccer mom stickers decorating the back window-- was coming behind him in that lane. The soccer mom slammed on the brakes, jolting forward then backward in her seat by the halted momentum of the vehicle, spilling what looked to be a diet Coke all over herself.
Her expression reminded David of a deer caught in the headlights in the seconds before it bolted. It was plain that her heart was now in her throat, her mouth open in shock. Stunned by the near collision.
Unbeknownst to the soccer mom, her brake lights were out.
The motorcyclist roaring up the street didn't seem to realize that she’d stopped until he was almost on top of her.
More evasive action came into play, David shook his head in amazement. His gaze riveted to the scene. He drew in a breath, anticipating a different kind of crash this time.
To avoid striking the minivan, the Harley Softail veered off to the right, hugging the edge of the asphalt along the curb for dear life. That is until the front tire clipped a hunk of loose concrete courtesy of the sidewalk enlargement project. It lodged between the top of the tire and the front fender, locking the wheel.
The unresponsive motorcycle forced its owner to fight for control. It was a battle that he was undeniably losing. The Harley skidded, moving way too fast.
Amid the struggle, the driver saw the girl ahead of him and shouted, “GET OUT OF THE WAY!”
The Softail -- unlike its name sounded -- was a heavy mass of rolling steel, chrome and gasoline. And it was on a collision course with the girl in the green sweatshirt.