The Thanksgiving Trap

On Thanksgiving, driving to my boyfriend Corbin's family dinner, another car hit mine on a deserted road.

Doors jammed shut, gasoline scent filled the airthe car was about to explode.

I grabbed for the life hammer in the console, but found a pink toy hammer instead.

Panicking, I called Corbin.

His ringtone blared from the other car.

Corbin stepped out, arm around his childhood sweetheart Zora, who fake-cried about her poor driving.

He glared at me.

"She did it on purpose."

I screamed,

"The life hammer was switched! Get me out!"

Zora grinned.

"That was me! Cute, right?"

Corbin sneered,

"Just a bump. Get out yourself."

Smoke choked the cabin.

I begged as Zora giggled,

"Cooking in there, sis? Baby's hungry. Let's go, Corbin."

He walked off, saying,

"Stop the drama. My parents are waiting."

With my last strength, I hit the emergency button.

That button was my lifeline.

It instantly sent my exact location and a live audio feed of the situation directly to my brother, Soren.

The moment I pressed it, a piercing alarm blared from the car's system.

Corbin and Zora, who had already walked a few yards away, spun around.

Corbin stormed back to my car, his face a mask of fury.

He slammed his fists against the glass.

"What the hell are you playing at, Elowen? When does it end?"

"It's just a little smoke! You hit the emergency button for that? Do you think the whole city's emergency services are your personal beck and call? Stop making a big deal out of nothing!"

Zora covered her mouth, but a snicker escaped.

"Corbin, honey, don't be mad at Elowen,"

she cooed.

"It's all my fault."

She pulled a small, matchbox-sized black device from her pocket and waved it triumphantly.

"The last time you gave me a ride, I bought this smoke simulator and planted it in her car. I just thought it would be a funny prank, you know? To mess with her a little."

"See? You just press this button, and poof! Smoke! It's harmless, no toxins or anything. Just for fun!"

Corbins face grew even darker with rage.

"Did you hear that, Elowen? It's fake! It's a joke!"

he roared.

"Have you lost your mind? Or do you just expect everyone to drop everything and cater to your every whim, just like I have to, twenty-four-seven?"

I was trembling with a fury so intense it burned hotter than the smoke.

They were the ones who had been fooling around in their car, Zora deliberately yanking the wheel and swerving into me.

But there was no time to argue.

I pointed a shaky finger at the hood, where the smoke was growing thicker, blacker.

"Corbin, the engine is actually smoking! It's real!"

"The doors are locked from the inside! You have to open them from the outside! Get me out!"

Corbin just sneered.

"You're getting more and more pathetic, trying to one-up Zora. You really think I'm going to fall for that again?"

I stopped wasting my breath on them.

Every second of arguing was a second of precious oxygen lost.

Then, I remembered.

For emergencies like this, Soren had packed a large, heavy-duty wrench in the toolbox in my trunk.

I scrambled over the seat to get to it.

The impact had bent the latch on the box.

I clawed at it with my nails, bit it with my teeth, and finally, it popped open!

A wave of relief washed over me.

I reached inside, my fingers closing around the familiar shape of the wrench.

But when I pulled it out, my heart sank into a pit of ice.

It wasn't a wrench.

It was a wrench-shaped piece of chocolate.

"Chocolate?"

My mind went completely blank.

Outside the car, Zora was clapping her hands, her laughter echoing in the small space.

"Wow! You found it, Elowen!"

"I told Corbin, why would a girl want a big, greasy piece of metal in her car? You could hurt yourself with that! Isn't it better to have something yummy instead?"

"And it's not just any chocolate! It's a custom-made Swiss piece I had imported for you. It was super expensive! You should be thanking me!"

I crushed the chocolate in my fist, a primal scream tearing from my throat.

"Who told you to touch my things! Are you out of your damn mind?"

Zora's smile vanished, instantly replaced by a waterfall of tears.

"Elowen, how could you be so mean? I was just trying to be nice, w-w-w."

Corbin's protective instincts flared.

He pulled Zora into a tight embrace, murmuring comforting words into his hair before turning his venom on me.

"Have you no class? Zora saved that expensive, imported chocolate for youshe wouldn't even eat it herself! Don't be so ungrateful!"

The black smoke had now completely filled the cabin.

The floor of the car was growing hotter, the heat searing the soles of my shoes.

And then I saw it.

A flicker of orange.

Flames.

"It's on fire! The car's going to explode!"

I whipped my head back to Corbin, my voice a desperate plea.

"Corbin, save me! Open the door! The car is on fire! It's real this time! Please I'm begging you"

"Have you completely lost it, Elowen? To get my attention, to make me feel sorry for you, you'd set your own car on fire?"

"You'll stop at nothing, will you? Look at yourself! Your face is a mess, all smoke-stained and tear-streaked. You think that's attractive? I'll tell you what it is. It's pathetic!"

It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

The smoke was like acid in my lungs.

With the last of my strength, I hammered on the window, my pleas becoming faint, muffled gasps.

"Open the door I'm going to die"

As he watched the black smoke billow and the flames lick higher, a flicker of doubt crossed Corbin's face.

Zora immediately tightened her grip on his arm.

"Corbin, honey, her act is so convincing. It's starting to scare me."

"Let's just go. Your mom cooked all that food for us. It's Thanksgiving, we can't keep your parents waiting."

At the mention of his parents, that sliver of doubt in Corbin's eyes vanished.

He gave me one last, cold look, then turned his back on me, pulling Zora along with him.

They hadn't gone twenty yards when the flames under the hood erupted, shooting two feet into the air.

The car began to crackle and pop as the fire consumed it.

Intense heat radiated through the glass, blistering my skin.

The terror of death washed over me like a tidal wave.

A primal survival instinct gave me one final burst of energy.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! IT'S ON FIRE!"

I shrieked, grabbing my phone and smashing it against the side window with all my might.

The screen shattered on impact, the sharp edges slicing my palm open.

Blood streamed down my hand, but I didn't feel a thing.

My horrifying screams finally made Corbin stop.

He spun around, and when he saw the inferno that had once been my car, he froze.

But Zora, standing beside him, let out a shriek even louder than mine.

"Elowen! Are you setting off fireworks in the car? It's so pretty, but so dangerous!"

"I know this car is supposed to be fireproof and blast-proof, but you can't play with fire like this just to get Corbin's attention!"

"Fireworks?"

Zoras absurd explanation muddled Corbins mind once again.

Yeah, he must have thought.

A woman like Elowen would do anything to get what she wants.

"You're a psycho, Elowen!"

he screamed at the burning wreck.

My relentless assault finally paid off.

A crack appeared in the window!

A sliver of fresh air rushed in, and I pressed my face to the opening, gasping, my lungs screaming for oxygen.

But Zora was faster.

She ran to her car, popped the trunk, and pulled out a wide roll of clear packing tape.

She sprinted back to my window.

"Oh no, sis, you broke the window! That's so dangerous!"

she said, her voice dripping with fake concern as she tore off a long strip of tape and expertly sealed the crack I had just made.

She even pressed it down firmly with her palm, making sure not a single wisp of air could get through.

"This is your car with Corbin, you know! How could you be so selfish and just smash it up like that?"

"You"

The precious mouthful of air I'd just inhaled was trapped in my throat.

Black spots danced in my vision.

Corbin, now seething, stormed over.

"Have you had enough, Elowen?"

He snatched the tape from Zora's hand and, his eyes blazing with a terrifying hatred, began to wrap it around and around the crack, sealing it even more tightly.

As I stared at his face, so familiar yet so monstrously alien, my hand fell limp at my side.

My breathing grew shallow.