**Part Two**
The car was completely filled with smoke and the fumes from the burning oil and gas made Lois’s eyes water. She coughed violently, slumping back in her seat, feeling exhausted. She had been trying to free herself for what seemed like hours, although she was sure it had only been a few short minutes. She continued twisting, frantically pushing and pulling her body back and forth, but nothing worked. Her legs had gone numb a long time ago, and she could see that, just above the knees they were rubbed raw from her struggling. As she stretched out her hands towards her legs, she drew in a sharp breath through her clenched teeth. The skin on her knuckles was broken open and bleeding from beating her fists against the door. She sobbed in frustration. Could things get any worse?
Something outside caught her eye. She blinked, praying that what she saw wasn’t real as the first flicker of bright orange flames slowly curled up over the front of her car. “This can’t be happening,” she sobbed again. But as she watched in horrified disbelief, the flames grew larger and she let out an ear-piercing scream.
Lois’s heart was beating wildly. The heat under the car was getting intense and the smoke was so thick now that it burned her lungs with every labored breath. “Oh God,” she thought. “I’m going to die out here in the middle of no where.” Terror gripped her and she screamed, but her throat was so dry and sore that it only came out as a whisper. “Please-,” she pleaded weakly, glancing up at the dark, starless sky, “-someone help me.” Her head dropped back onto the headrest as a wave of hopelessness washed over her.
Moments later, the driver’s side door was violently ripped from its hinges. The steering wheel was pried from the dash, and two strong arms lifted her out of the car, carrying her away from the scorching heat. She was vaguely aware of being gently lowered to the ground, and when the car exploded in a thunderous ball of fire, she felt a man’s hard body above her, shielding her from the smoldering debris that rained down around them.
Her vision blurred and she felt herself loosing consciousness.
-to be continued-
