The New Year's Party (10 page)

“You told me it would be funny!” Sandi cried. “But no one's laughing!”

“Sean!” Reenie yelled. “I think P.J. is—I think P.J. is—”

Dead. She couldn't choke out the word—but that is what she thought. She thought P.J. was dead.

Sean rushed over and crouched next to Reenie. “I can't hear a heartbeat,” she whispered.

“P.J. only fainted,” Artie said. “I'll show you.” He knelt down beside P.J. And shook him the way he had shaken Sandi.

“Come on, P.J.,” Artie pleaded. “Don't be a wimp. You can't be that scared.” He shook P.J. harder. Shook him until P.J.'s head flopped back and forth on his shoulders.

Greta returned with a glass of water. She cradled P.J.'s head in one arm and tried to pour the water into his mouth.

He didn't swallow. He didn't choke. The water ran down his chin and cheeks.

“No!” Greta cried. “No, no, no.”

Sean grabbed P.J.'s wrist. The crowd grew silent. “I don't feel a pulse,” he reported.

“Don't die on me, man,” Artie moaned. “Wake up, P.J. Come on. Snap out of it.
Please!”

“Marc, call 911,” Reenie ordered. Marc didn't move. Dazed, he stared down at P.J.

P.J. lay there. Pale. Not moving.

Not moving or breathing.

Reenie shuddered. Sean pulled her close, held her.

“He's dead,” Reenie wailed. “We killed P.J.”

T
he car had flipped upside down. Beth hung from her seat belt with Jeremy suspended beside her.

“Jeremy,” she called in a choked whisper.

No answer.

She found the release on her seat belt and pressed it. She dropped to the floor. Actually the roof, she reminded herself.

Okay, what do I do? Beth asked herself, trying to calm down. What? Free Jeremy? Get out of the car? Get help?

She found the release on Jeremy's seat belt. Pushed. Nothing happened. She tried again. The belt let go with a snap, and Jeremy landed with a thud.

I'm not hurt, Beth realized. We had a horrible accident and I'm not hurt!

Beth stared over at Jeremy. Bright light filled the car. She realized the headlights were still on. Reflecting off the snow.

No blood! No cuts. No open wounds. Relief swept through her. He's okay, too.

Beth spotted the only way out of the crumpled car. The passenger-side window. The glass had been knocked out in the accident. She wriggled through the window and landed in the snow.

Now I have to save Jeremy.

She stretched out flat on her stomach in the snow, then reached in to grab Jeremy's arm. She tugged as hard as she could.

Jeremy moved a little.

Beth pulled with all her strength until she slid Jeremy to the window. Now for the hard part. She clutched his coat and yanked.

She pulled one arm out. Then his head. Then his shoulders. She pulled on his coat again—and the rest of his body slid out all at once.

“Jeremy!” she cried. “Wake up. Please.”

He groaned and opened his eyes, blinking in the silvery light “Wh-what happened?”

“We were in an accident. You lost control of the car and we went tumbling down a steep hill. Don't you remember?”

Jeremy stared at her blankly. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Yeah, now I do.”

“Are you all right?”

“I … I'm not sure.”

He sat up slowly. “Nothing hurts. I guess I'm okay.”

Beth uttered a sigh of relief. “Me, too.”

“We've got to get back to that boy!” Jeremy urged. “Maybe it's not too late to help him.” Jeremy struggled to his feet.

“Are you sure you should stand up?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” He reached down and pulled Beth to her feet.

“Hurry,” he urged. “We've got to find that boy. Right away.”

They stumbled through the deep snow. Beth couldn't see the road. She hoped they were heading in the right direction.

She glanced back at the car. It was a crumpled mess. The tires in the air. The roof flattened against the ground. The windows all shattered and reduced to slits—except the one she and Jeremy had escaped through.

How did we ever survive that? Beth wondered.

“The boy should be right about here,” Jeremy said. “This is where we hit him.”

No sign of him. No footprints in the snow. No skidmarks on the road.

“We must be in the wrong place,” Beth said quietly.

“No,” Jeremy replied. “Look.” He pointed at the dark spots in the snow a few yards up ahead.

Bloodstains?

“How could he have walked away?” Beth asked.

“Oh, man,” Jeremy muttered. “No way he could
have walked. Could someone have picked him up—while we were unconscious?”

“Only you were unconscious,” Beth pointed out. “I wasn't. I'd have heard it if a car stopped.”

“But … where could he have gone?”

“We can follow his tracks,” Beth suggested.

They searched for his footprints in the snow.

There were none.

None at all.

“What's going on here?” Beth asked in a shaky voice. “How can this be?”

A
crunching sound nearby. A low roar.

“What's that?” Jeremy whispered.

Beth heard it, too. “It's a car!” she exclaimed. “Coming from over there.”

Headlights swept over the snow as the car approached. The low roar of its engine grew louder.

Beth and Jeremy moved to the side of the road, frantically waving their arms. The car's headlights grew brighter.

But… but it's not slowing down! Beth realized.

“Stop! Hey—stop!” she screamed. “Emergency! Stop!”

The car roared past them, whipping snow and slush into Beth's face.

What is wrong with that guy? Why didn't he stop? Beth wondered. She watched as the car's taillights shrank to two red dots, then vanished.

“Maybe he thought it was a trick,” Jeremy suggested. “Maybe he thought we planned to rob him. Or maybe he was late for a New Year's party. It is New Year's, after all.”

Beth clutched his arm. “Listen, another car is coming!”

“I'm going to make sure this one stops,” Jeremy said. He strode to the center of the road and turned to face the oncoming vehicle.

Beth joined him. A truck this time, she decided. She could tell by the way the ground shook, and by the sound of its diesel engine.

The truck's headlights rolled over the snowy ground.

The vibrations beneath Beth's feet grew more intense.

Beth and Jeremy frantically waved their arms over their heads.

The truck sped toward them, roaring through the silent night.

“Help us!” Beth screamed. “Please!”

Beth could see the truck's grille.

And bumper.

“Jump!” she shrieked. She flung herself out of the truck's path. Jeremy landed hard beside her.

“I don't believe it!” Beth cried. “That truck nearly flattened us!”

“He didn't even slow down,” Jeremy murmured, his eyes on the vanishing taillights. “What is wrong with people tonight? Don't they have any holiday spirit?”

They picked themselves up. Beth brushed some snow off Jeremy's back. I should be freezing, Beth thought. But I'm not. Must be the shock of the accident.

“Someone
has to stop,” Beth murmured.

Help us, she thought. Please. Someone.

A tear trickled down her cheek. Then another. And another. She wiped them away.

Three more cars sped past them without slowing down.

“What are we going to do?” Jeremy asked. “We can't stay out here. We'll freeze.”

“I saw some lights over there,” Beth said, pointing.

But she couldn't find them again. Where were they? Could the trees be blocking her view? She moved to the left, peering through the trees.

And there they were! Pale white lights. Up near the top of a hill. Windows. Glowing brightly.

“It's a house!” she cried. “Whoever lives there will help us. They've got to!”

They hurried toward the distant lights. When they reached a wire fence, they climbed over and found themselves in a snow-covered field. The ground beneath the snow was uneven, and they both kept slipping.

“My boot is full of snow,” she complained. But her foot didn't feel cold. Did she have frostbite?

They trudged on. The lights grew brighter. They could see the house clearly. But they had to climb over two more fences before they reached it.

“Finally!” Beth sighed as they climbed onto the wooden front porch.

Lights glowed from three windows. Someone had to be home. Thank goodness, she thought. Oh, thank goodness.

Beth pressed the doorbell. She could hear the chimes ringing inside.

They waited.

No one came to the door. Beth and Jeremy exchanged worried glances.

Beth rang the bell again. She thought she saw the curtain in the front window twitch, but no one appeared.

Jeremy knocked on the door. He pounded on it again and again.

And still no one came.

“Help!” Beth hollered. “We've been in an accident! We need help!”

“Please!” Jeremy shouted. “Let us in!”

No one came to the door.

“Why won't they open the door?” Jeremy cried.

“Shhhh! I hear something. Listen.”

“I hear it, too!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“It's a TV. And people talking,” Beth said.

“They're in there,” Jeremy insisted. “Why are they ignoring us?”

They yelled.

Hammered their fists on the door.

Nothing happened. No one came to the door. “Why are they ignoring us? Why aren't they coming to help us?” Jeremy cried.

“What are we going to do?” Beth asked. Tears burned her eyes.

“We've got to go back to the road. Maybe some car will stop.”

Beth nodded. She didn't have any better ideas. But she was too upset to move.