Metal crashed against wood. A symphony of shattering glass welcomed the rain through the broken windshield.

Amy eased her arms away from her face with a wince. They'd shielded her from the worst of the impact, earning them a myriad of scratches and a deep purple bruise from the airbag. Her ears rang as she looked to see how badly the boys had been hurt.

Carson's breath came in ragged gasps as he stared ahead with wide eyes. Blood ran from a gash in his forehead, a crimson slick on his deathly pale face. Much of their food stash had broken over him in an almost comical display. Pulverized Doritos crusted the backseat, and the remains of granola bars crunched under his trembling feet. He definitely looked like he'd seen better days, but he seemed more emotionally hurt than physically.

Lucas was another matter.

He let out a noise that was half-sob, half-scream, and one hundred percent fear as he attempted to move his arm. Bright red, swollen, and covered in a myriad of cuts, his injury looked almost as angry as the moose that had charged them.

On top of injuring his arm, the airbag had hit him so hard he sported a black eye. Despite being nearly swollen shut, tears of pain still leaked out.

Who knew what other injuries lay out of sight?

Grunts and labored breathing revealed danger that still lurked nearby, hidden by the storm.

"We need to get that thing to leave," Amy said.

"No shit," Lucas hissed through gritted teeth. "Got any other brilliant ideas like maybe, I don't know, I need to get my ass to a fucking doctor?"

"I knew I shouldn't have let her go alone," Carson muttered to himself. He was looking toward Amy, but his eyes were unfocused. Lost. "She died because of me, and now that moose is going to kill me, too."

"It's not going to kill anybody."

Lucas let out a loud, broken laugh. "Right, and I'm not dealing with a busted arm. Face it, we're screwed!"

This wasn't working.

If her father and been there, he would have known exactly what to do. He'd helped kids deal with everything from allergic reactions to nearly getting bitten by snakes, and he had always known how to get everyone to keep their cool, even himself. When Amy's blood had soaked through her socks after a particularly nasty fall, only his gentle touch and soothing voice had helped her calm down enough to let the nurse patch her up.

He'd been scared, too. Terrified, actually. Yet, even when she'd hurt herself so badly she still had a ridge of scar tissue rising from her knee over a decade later, he'd gotten them both through it.

She just had to channel him a bit.

"Can you do me a favor and take a deep breath?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "What good will that do?"

"It won't hurt you. Just take it in, and then let it out." As she demonstrated what she wanted him to do, her heart eased its hammering and some of the tension left her shoulders.

Carson's breath whistled out of his nose as his chest rose and fell in a gradually steadier rhythm.

"Dude, you sound like a teapot," Lucas said.

"You are a teapot," Carson responded.

"What is that even supposed to mean?" Lucas chuckled despite himself, wincing as his laughter jostled his arm.

"Come on, it'll make you feel better," Amy said.

"Yeah, if it'll get you two off my case." Lucas did as he was told.

"Better?"

"A little," he admitted begrudgingly.

"Good. Now, we have to wait."

"Like a bunch of sitting ducks?"

"It doesn't matter whether we're moving or not," Carson said. "If that moose wants to kill us, it will. We just need to make sure it doesn't see any reason to, gets bored, and leaves to go graze or something."

"Fair enough."

They sat there in silence, squinting through the rain to try and track the dark shape of the moose. The massive shadow moaned as it staggered through the storm. Amy was no expert on moose, but even she knew it wasn't normal for them to act like battered drunkards. It was clearly sick. Whether it was fixing to join its twin at the bottom of the lake or was just dealing with a raging migraine, it was no wonder it had gotten so aggressive with them.

Even after what it had done, it was impossible not to feel at least a little sorry for it.

Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief once the moose's squelching footsteps and guttural moans faded into the distance.

Carson wiped sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand. "We'd better get patched up before we get out. Do you still have that first aid kit?"

Amy glanced at the mess of bandages and pills scattered around her feet. "Technically, yes."

"The main thing we need to do is immobilize his arm so he doesn't hurt it even more and take care of any cuts. Could you pass me some antiseptic wipes?"

Amy passed him a handful of their meager supplies. Her own cuts stung, but they could wait. First, she needed to make sure Lucas got taken care of.

"This might sting a bit," she said.

Lucas winced as she dabbed at his scrapes with a cotton ball. "You really don't have to do this. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can," Amy said. Next came the bandages. Her fingers brushed over his arm with the lightest touch as she wrapped his wounds. "I've just been hurt enough times to know it's a lot easier to handle things with a little help."

"Wish my ex thought that. I managed to bust my leg real bad right before a big game, and do you know what she did? Ditched me to go suck face with some dude from the drama club. She took that dickhead to prom, too."

"That sucks." Not for the first time, Amy was glad she'd dodged that particular bullet. High school had been hellish enough even without worrying about that sort of thing. Besides, she'd been more than happy to binge Disney movies with her friends instead of going to some stupid dance.

"You ever deal with something like that?"

"Not unless you count Seamus ignoring me every time Mom brings out his treats. I swear that cat would sell his soul for a can of tuna." While Carson gave her instructions from the backseat, Amy tied Lucas's arm into a makeshift sling. "You'll still have to be super careful, but this'll have to do for now."

Once Amy and Carson had taken care of their own injuries, the three of them ventured out into the rain to see if the truck could be saved. Carson winced at the sight of the cargo bed, now with a massive dent caving the back of it. He hugged his tarp around himself tightly. "I'm fine. We're fine," he muttered to himself over and over again in a shaky refrain.

"Why don't you go see if you can find out which direction the moose went?" Lucas said. "Amy and I'll pack up as much as we can."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Amy asked. Shaken up as he was, he didn't exactly seem like the pinnacle of perceptiveness.

"I'll do it. He's hurt, and after what happened to..." Carson took a shuddering breath. "I'd better check its tracks before the rain washes them away."

As he walked into the gloomy grayness, Amy and Lucas bundled as many supplies as they could salvage into the spare tarp they'd brought. In this weather, avoiding getting wet was beyond a lost cause, but they could at least avoid going hungry for the rest of their trek.

That didn't make them any less cold though.

Amy shuddered as her clothes clung to her in a soaking heap. "I'd kill to be inside right now."

"Preferably with hot chocolate," Lucas said. "And a fireplace. And no moose! Unless it's stuffed. I wouldn't mind seeing that thing mounted on a wall."

"Don't forget the blankets. Lots of them." She shuddered as the wind sent a chill racing down her spine. "Damn it's cold out here."

"I know one thing we could do to get warm," Lucas said, his lips curving into a smile.

"I'm all ears!"

Lucas leaned toward her and locked his mouth over hers.