The senator was driving over rather than flying and was bringing Bill’s golf clubs with him. He was always flying from place to place and enjoyed any opportunity to go by car instead. When he and Bill had finished playing their weekly round of golf that past weekend and the senator had been putting Bill’s clubs into the back of his own car, he’d said to Bill, “I’m glad to save us both the extra baggage fees the airlines charge now for golf clubs. That’s a good enough excuse for my driving, right?”
Laughing, Bill had assured him, “Absolutely! And, I do appreciate it. I’ve got enough stuff already with everything Mary is bringing. Plus we have Emily’s car seat. I’ve rented a full size car but I doubt there would be any room for my clubs. We’re really glad you can join us this time, Ed.” In addition to golfing, they planned on doing some fishing. Bill had plenty of fishing equipment already at the cabin, along with a small boat they could take out on the lake.
Now, leaving the hotel parking lot, the Stratton family was on its way up to the mountains. They would be taking the Blue Ridge Parkway once they left Roanoke, and should be arriving at their cabin just before noon. However, theirs was not the only vehicle which would be travelling on the parkway that morning.
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Tim looked over at Rich, driving next to him, and then into the back seat once again. The two girls sitting back there were the reason he and Rich were only now finally headed up into the mountains to join their other friends instead of already being up at the campsite. Denise couldn’t get away until this morning and Gail wanted to wait for her friend. So, they’d missed the big first night party up there but it was worth it. These girls were fun and incredibly hot. He and Gail had been dating all summer and this weekend was one of their last before he’d be leaving for his first semester away at college. Rich was laughing and said, “Don’t worry, guys! I’ll have us up there in no time. The parkway is just up ahead and …”
“Yeah,” said Tim. “And it’s all uphill from there!”
“Oh, but Rich loves these mountain roads,” said Denise. “Last weekend, he drove me up there, just the two of us. It was so romantic! Of course, I had my eyes closed half the time while he was going up and down that parkway, since my stomach just does flip flops going around those curves. But, we got up there and back, no problem.”
Their car then turned onto the parkway and Rich accelerated, picking up speed. He intended to get them up there as quickly as possible so they’d not miss out on any more than they’d already missed. He knew his friends were not going to wait around for them and he wanted to get there before they left for the afternoon’s activities.
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Meanwhile, heading down out of the mountains, Jim and his co-worker, also named Jim, were enjoying the great views. Their boss called them Jimmy One and Jimmy Two. Jimmy One was driving the company’s Mack truck, loaded with large appliances headed for a warehouse in Georgia, and he said, “Whenever you can spare the extra time and can get the chance to drive through these mountains, it’s really worth it. So much of our regular route is just one monotonous mile after the other.”
“I see what you mean,” said the other Jim. “And you’re so right about how boring most of these road trips can be. I’m glad this trip worked out this way. Stopping for the night up at that campsite and waking up this morning, looking at the mountains reflected in the lake … I’ll definitely want to arrange my schedule so I can do this a few more times.”
“Yep! There’s just no way that any crappy motel room can compare with that,” agreed the Jim who was driving as he approached a bend in the road and applied the brakes. Once back onto a straight section, he released the brakes and coasted along for a while until they got to the next curve, when he once again applied the brakes. They were not in any hurry as they’d arrive in Atlanta that afternoon in plenty of time to drop off their appliances and pick up their next load.
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As the dawn was breaking, Missy found herself walking along the Blue Ridge Parkway which led down out of the mountains and into the city of Roanoke. She continued her descent for a couple of hours with only the occasional vehicle going by, either going up into the mountains or, like herself, headed down out of them. A large Mack truck was one of the vehicles coming down out of the mountains but when it drove past Missy at a leisurely pace, she didn’t pay much attention to it. She was thinking about home.
Suddenly, not too far ahead but still out of sight from where she was, she could hear the screech of tires followed by a loud crunch. This was quickly followed by the sound of a car crashing down the side of a cliff. She ran toward this commotion, racing at top speed and as she came around the final bend she could see two vehicles which had pulled over, a car and a very large truck … the same Mack truck which had just passed her. There were several people out standing along one side of the road. They were all looking down the embankment which showed signs of a car having gone over the edge.
As she ran up, she could hear snatches of conversations. It quickly became clear from the comments and from where the two vehicles had stopped, just what had happened to a third car. One car had been trying to pass the other when, from the opposite direction around the bend, the large Mack truck had suddenly appeared. The vehicles had all scrambled, attempting to avoid head on collisions, but when the car which had attempted passing had pulled back over, out of the path of the oncoming truck, it had cut off the other car. That car was then forced off the road after smashing into the rear quarter panel of the passing car, making the loud crunching sound which Missy had heard.
While the onlookers continued to mill around, she noticed the distinct smell of gasoline rising up from below. She realized whoever was in that car needed to get out and away before their car exploded into flames. Without any further thought, she started down the cliff taking advantage of her physical skills combined with her enhanced abilities. These enabled her to practically rappel down the side of the steep cliff, which was quite a shear drop, and she quickly reached the car where it had ended up on its passenger side, more than a hundred feet below.
At the car, she could see where fuel was leaking out and she knew she had to move fast. Grabbing a large rock, she smashed the driver’s side rear window and crawled into the car. Broken glass shards cut into her arms, legs and back but ignoring that she quickly grabbed the man who was in the driver’s seat by the back of his shirt. She saw he had managed to unbuckle his seat belt but was still somewhat in shock, gazing over to his right and mumbling to the woman in the passenger seat. But, she was not responding. Missy yanked the man right out of his seat and pushed him up and through the smashed window. She then reached down and unbuckled the woman’s seat belt and yanked her out as well. The woman slowly began to regain consciousness and moaned but made no resistance.
Missy quickly backed her way out through the window, pushing the man ahead of her and pulling the woman behind her. Once out, she dragged the two of them away from the car and up towards some cover afforded by an outcropping of rocks several feet away. She positioned them both behind these rocks and then hurried right back to the car since there was a small child, a little girl, still trapped in there. Missy had noticed the girl when she’d first climbed in, wedged in the back and buckled into a car seat.
Under the car, flames suddenly appeared, along with a whooshing sound just as Missy was diving back through the car window. She now needed to move really fast and all of a sudden, added strength and speed from her cat form just flowed into her. This happened without her having to Change. This was a new experience for Missy, being able to draw on her cat while still human. Apparently, when it was a life or death situation, this ability was possible for her.
With no time to deal with all the buckles and straps holding the child into the car seat, she just yanked them out using her superhuman strength, thanks to her unique werecat inheritance. (This incredible feat would not be discovered by the investigators later, since the evidence would simply get destroyed in the fire.) Backi
ng out through the window once again but with the car now engulfed in flames, Missy started to move away clutching the child tightly to her chest. After taking only a few steps, however, she was violently knocked off her feet when the car finally exploded. She went flying but somehow managed to cradle the little girl within herself, protecting her from any injury by moving into a fetal position with her body, arms and legs all completely surrounding the child.
Missy was knocked unconscious when her head banged onto a large rock. Luckily, she continued to roll further down the hill, away from the burning car. In spite of blacking out, she never let go of the little girl, keeping her tucked closely within her protective embrace. And, that’s how they both would be found, still clutched together, more than an hour later when the rescue team finally arrived on the scene.
Meanwhile, Bill and Mary Stratton, the man and woman she had rescued, were both okay but didn’t realize Missy and their child Emily had managed to escape. In the aftermath of the huge explosion, their first concern was for their little girl. They were slowly starting to recover their senses but were still dazed, somewhat numb and in shock from their ordeal. First, from their car having gone off the road and crashing onto the rocks at the bottom of a steep cliff. And then, from somehow being miraculously dragged to safety. Even so, they tried to approach the burning car, but the intense heat from the flames was too great. Horrified, they could only stand there, watching helplessly while grief and despair overwhelmed them.
Only when the rescue team came down to assist was it discovered that, by some miracle, no one was inside the car. Quickly, a search of the area was performed and Missy’s crumpled body was found, quite a distance away, where she had landed and rolled after being blown up in the explosion. Her sweater and shorts were scorched, she had some burns, she was bleeding from numerous cuts and scratches, and she was out cold. At first glance, they thought she was dead. But, when one member of the rescue team made his way down to where she was lying, he found she was still alive and was holding onto the little girl, who had not received any injuries at all. Not a scratch. It was truly a miracle!
Chapter Five
Late morning Aug 26
Things up on the road at the scene of the accident had gone from very hectic to a controlled chaos which eventually did settle down. There had been two men in the truck and the driver had used his cell phone to call 911 right away after he had pulled over and stopped. They both had gotten out and walked over to see where the car had gone off the road. Four teenagers had emerged from the other car and had joined them. The teenagers had all started arguing with one another about what had happened and then were apologizing to the men from the truck. They had all been trying to see over the edge of the road, looking for the third car, when Missy had come running up and without even stopping, she had gone right over the edge and down the cliff.
No one had been able to see anything since the cliff face was so steep, but they all had heard when Missy smashed the window, not even a minute later. And then, shortly after that, there had been the huge explosion followed by flames and smoke rising up from the fire. At first, they all had assumed anyone down there had to be dead. But then, they’d heard the anguished cries from the man and woman below. It seemed impossible but somehow, there had been survivors! They’d called down with assurances that help was on the way. And, the truck driver had dialed 911 again to explain there were some survivors who needed help.
The police and a rescue team did arrive, forty minutes later, coming up from the city of Roanoke which was closest. But it then took another fifteen minutes before the team was able to get down to the car below and put out the fire. There was a news helicopter circling the area, taking film shots for the evening news. They actually managed getting there in time to film the fire, just before the rescue team put it out. They also filmed all the rescue activities which followed.
The couple being rescued was too distraught about losing their little girl and would not leave the burned out car. Then, when it was determined there were no dead bodies inside, a search led to Missy being found further down the cliff. And, when it was learned she had managed to save the little girl who was not injured in any way, there were shouts and screams of joy from the couple. Soon the three Stratton family members were all hoisted up to the road above, where an ambulance waited to take them to the hospital.
More police and firemen arrived plus another ambulance. The stretcher went down for Missy and she was carefully hoisted up and put into the second ambulance. Once both ambulances were gone, the firemen went down to look at what was left of the car, assisted by the rescue team, while the police took charge of everything up above. Interviews were done, statements were recorded, photos and measurements were taken and the investigation at the scene was completed. Temporary railings along the edge of the road were erected, with police tape and markers. Gradually, everyone dispersed and one of the police cars was the last to finally leave.
Outside the William Osborne Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, it had been real busy for a while, with two ambulances pulling in along with a police car. Two news teams had already been waiting, one from the newspaper and the other from the local TV station. The word had spread about the miracle rescue, with a little girl being saved along with her parents. The evening news on TV would be showing the car fire being put out as well as where it had crashed down the side of a steep cliff from the road above. And, there would be all the rescue team actions plus the police and fire men at the scene.
No one yet had any details about what Missy had done, but enough of the story had leaked out to raise speculation about the mystery girl who was somehow involved with this miracle. Thus, when the ambulances arrived at the hospital, these received a lot of attention, as everyone wanted to get all the details for what clearly was a very big story.
When the rescued family members emerged from the first ambulance, they were each on a stretcher which was rushed inside. The news teams did get film and photo coverage but there were no statements given out. Then, when Missy was taken from the second ambulance, this was repeated. And, once inside, only doctors and nurses were allowed beyond the emergency room, so it was another hour of waiting before any news was given out. Then, it was announced the little girl was unharmed and her parents were also okay, with the mild concussion for the mother being the most severe injury. They would all be kept overnight for observation but it was expected they would be released the next day.
As for Missy, no one knew who she was or anything about where she had come from. Her condition was critical and she was in the ICU. The extent of her injuries was still being evaluated but she had definitely suffered a severe blow to the head and had not regained consciousness. It was announced no further information would be available for at least a day or two.
The news teams then focused on the police and firemen, the witnesses and the rescue team. The police were able to provide identities for the Stratton family and were conducting a search hoping to learn who the mystery girl was and how she had happened to be there. Missy had simply appeared out of nowhere and, without a word, had gone over the edge and dropped out of sight. Details were learned how she had somehow managed to get down to the car, smash the window and pull all three people out. The truck driver had provided his account and one of the rescue workers had also been telling his story.
That rescue worker had talked to the little girl’s parents at the scene down below when he’d first arrived and while they’d been frantically worrying about their daughter. All they’d known was someone had pulled them to safety and then had gone back but suddenly there’d been the big explosion. This rescue worker had also been the one to find Missy and the little girl after the fire had been put out. It had truly been a miracle the way the girl had been held safely by Missy in spite of the explosion and fire and the obvious injuries Missy had received.
The identity of the Stratton family added to the newsworthiness of the story, as Bill Stratton was a well known real estate developer from Wash
ington D.C. who owned a chain of luxury hotels. He also was a close friend of Ed Maxwell, the junior senator from Massachusetts. It was learned Senator Maxwell was already on his way and would arrive later that evening. Evidently, the Stratton family had been vacationing in the Blue Ridge Mountains area for years. They had left Roanoke that morning on their way up to their lakeside cabin. The senator had planned on joining them, driving over from his place in the capital. Now, of course, the senator would be visiting them at the hospital.
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Meanwhile, Missy’s initial examination at the hospital had been completed. After determining Missy was stable, a CT scan had been performed. This showed there were no broken bones or internal injuries. Because of the serious head injury, Doctor Walker was assigned to her case and had requested an MRI in order to better understand whether any brain damage had occurred. The nurses had removed her sweater and blue jean shorts, treating several deep slashes from the car window glass as well as her burns, cuts, scrapes, and bruises from the explosion and fire.
Nurse Gladys, the lead nurse, had some comments for the doctor. “There are certainly a lot of very strange things about this patient, Doctor Walker, and nothing which really helps us identify who she might be. When she arrived, after we peeled away her clothes, we checked them for any possessions which might provide a clue, but she had nothing. Nothing in her pockets, no purse, no shoes … why, she didn’t even have any bra or panties! What teenage girl today will go around like that?”
Missy the Werecat Page 3