Author's Note: This is part of a series of short stories. They are written very quickly and are not edited. They are also VERY weird and are not for everyone. You have been warned.
*
"We are so lost," Catherine grumbled.
"No, we're not. Just a little turned around is all," denied Bridget as she tapped on her GPS furiously. Catherine rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone, her fingers beginning to dance along the screen.
"Sure, real helpful, Sis. Just keep texting away," Bridget said sarcastically.
"Not like we're going anywhere," Catherine retorted and stuck her tongue out at her sister, before returning to her phone. The two fell into relieving silence. Bridget silently cursed at the piece of tech in her hand. The supposedly sophisticated piece of technology seemed determined to refute any commands she made.
"God dammit," Bridget snarled and tossed the GPS into the back, "Stupid piece of shit." Her sister glanced up from her phone and heaved a heavy sigh.
"Just turn around. We've probably already missed the show. Let's just go home."
"Really? You're the one that wanted to see this band so badly. Who're they again? Shack Bale Pride?" Bridget questioned mockingly. She began to pull out of the scrapyard she had pulled into, though her face remained set in an agitated scowl.
"Black Veil Brides. And whatever. Not like I can't just see it on YouTube," Catherine growled.
"I'll never understand you, Cat," Bridget lamented. They were on the road once again, though heading in the opposite direction then either of them had intended.
"Funny, sounds like something Mum would say," Catherine mocked. Her older sister's fingers tightened around the steering wheel, to the point that her knuckles turned white. Bridget turned her gaze to her passenger before bringing it back to the road.
"Catherine," Bridget warned.
"What? You gonna run off too? Yeah right, you wouldn't dare, Miss Goody Two-Shoes," Catherine teased.
"Shut the fuck up!" Bridget screamed. She twisted her body to face her sister and meet her gaze.
"Um, Bridge... the road." Catherine hinted as she eyed the windshield.
"It was hard for me too, you know? You were a little kid; I was a teenager. How do you think I felt, huh? You didn't even know dad either, and I did. So what the fuck do you know?"
"Bridge,"
"No, not a word out of you. I stayed with you, Cat. I picked up where Mum left off and I tried. Fucking hell, I tried. So get over yourself and show some fucking respect, okay?!" Bridget screeched. Her face had long since turned a deep red with a vein bulging clearly from her temple.
"I'm... shit!" Catherine yelled as she spied a chain fence. Bridget turned as if in slow motion just in time to see the fence meet the hood of the car. Her body locked up. She pressed down on the accelerator in a panic, bringing the car barrelling past the fence and into a facility. Adrenaline pumped through the sisters, allowing both to see the world around them in an unprecedented clarity. Warehouses lined the sides, with large vats labelled with a bio-hazard symbol. One of which was directly in their path.
Bridget immediately undid her seatbelt and forced herself to cover her sister. Catherine sat frozen with her face sculpted into a perfect expression of terror, hardly seeming to register it as her older sibling wrapped her body around hers before the world rocked violently around her. She heard Bridget scream in agony as the hood folded itself around the barrel. Catherine's vision went dark as she lost consciousness. She only just registered the sound of voices yelling and an ambulances sirens approaching.
"... incredibly brave of her."
"Would you have done that?"
"Can't say."
Catherine frowned at the voices around her. They weren't familiar in the slightest aside from the tone of voice; professional, with a hint of kindness mixed in. She groaned in pain. Her head throbbed like she had the world's worst migraine, nonetheless she managed to open her eyes. Only to regret it instantly.
"Bright," she grunted and attempted to raise a hand to shield her eyes.
"Dim the lights, please, Nurse? Thank you," Nurse? Catherine thought, why was she in a hospital? The glaring light dimmed mercifully. She blinked to clear her vision, managing to focus on the slightly blurred shape of someone standing at her side.
"Where am I?" Catherine inquired to find that her throat felt horribly dry. Her voice sounded hoarse as well. How long had she been out?
"St. Bernard Hospital," the man she assumed to be the doctor answered. Despite herself, Catherine chuckled.
"Really?"
"Well, at least you can laugh," a feminine voice observed with a cheerful tone. Definitely a nurse, Catherine thought, "Here, drink this," With how dry her throat felt, Catherine had no doubt that she would drink urine if it meant relieving the sandpaper sensation. She felt a straw at her lips and allowed it inside, immediately drawing on it.
"Thanks," she said when she'd had her fill.
"No problem," the nurse assured her.
"So, uh, why am I here?" Catherine inquired.
"Long story short, you and your sister were in a car crash. Don't worry," the doctor promised, "You're both fine. She's in the other room resting right now. You two got really lucky. A few broken bones, concussions and a couple of scrapes and bruises. Could've been much, much worse."
"Good to hear," Catherine mumbled as the memories resurged. She clearly recalled what had been said before the crash. She doubted she would ever actually forget it. I was a real shit, she reprimanded herself. Not anymore, she vowed silently. Catherine would have gladly signed her name in blood simply to show how serious she meant it. If Bridget needed help, she would get it, "Not anymore," she affirmed under her breath.
A few days later and the two sisters were released. Bridget had her arm in a cast and a few scratches on her face and back, but other than that she looked great. Though Catherine wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, her stay in the hospital, or both, but her sister looked taller than she remembered.
"Let me," Catherine offered but didn't wait for an answer, taking her sister's bag of clothes and hulking it into the taxi boot. Bridget furrowed her brow at her little sister.
"Since when do you help?" She questioned chidingly.
"Since you broke your arm," Catherine retorted. The two shared a small grin after a brief moment.
"Thanks," Bridget said as she climbed into the vehicle. Her sister climbed in shortly afterwards and they were headed back home.
That night Catherine awoke to the sounds of distressed cries.
"Bridget?!" She called out and hurried to her sister's room. The doctors had mentioned that there might be some pain, so she wasn't especially concerned, that is, until she crashed through Bridget's door, "Bridge?" Catherine inquired.