InsaneJournal

WHO: Claire Winchester & NPC!locals.
WHAT: Lack of immortality rears its ugly head.
WHEN: Mid-afternoon.
WHERE: Outside Claire's video store.
RATING: Highish, due to mentions of violence and character death.
STATUS: Complete; Narrative.

Claire had a headache. Not normally one to have to suffer through such things, she really wasn't all that adept at ignoring the dull throb in her temples and had decided it was probably best for all involved if she took the rest of the afternoon off. Or, at least, if she would leave the shop and take her paperwork with her. Which wasn't helping much in the headache department but would ensure her employees, as well as customers, survived to see another day.

Arms filled with folders and silently cursing tax season, Claire made her way outside without even bothering to take note how pretty the day had turned out to be. She didn't notice much of anything the half of a block or so to her car, really. She was too busy thinking about the next thing to do on her list while keeping half an eye on the bits of broken sidewalk that littered various parts of the path. Once she reached her car, however, and managed to get everything into the backseat, she finally took a second to draw in a deep breath and simply exist for a moment.

Which was, of course, the precise moment her day went from bad to much, much worse.

The honking of a horn made her green eyes snap open as she gave a slight start, gaze shifting to the street as a bus rumbled past. She frowned slightly and finally made her way around the back of her car, stepping carefully off the curb and inching forward a bit to look both ways. The road was never too busy but it definitely had its share of traffic, particularly during rush hour. However this time, the coast was completely clear and Claire moved along the length of her car with every intention of opening the driver's door and climbing inside without incident. She would have managed it, too, if not for a car that suddenly shot around the very same corner the bus had just disappeared around.

The rest of it seemed to happen in slow motion. There was a rev of a motor, a shriek from a young woman, and Claire looked back just in time to see a small girl around Meri's age dart into the street with her terrified mother charging after her. Distantly, tires squealed but it was obvious that the car wasn't going to stop in time. Especially when the little girl stopped right in its path, finally seeming to take notice of her surroundings and screaming rather than diving out of the way. In that one instant, Claire saw the girl's life end before it had even begun. And, without even thinking about it, she did the only thing she could think to do to keep that from happening.

She shoved away from her car and stepped directly into the path of impact.

The car slammed into her with enough force to shatter the entire left side of her body. She hit the ground a few seconds later with enough force to shatter the other side. A few seconds after that and Claire, surrounded by people she didn't know watching helplessly, drew in one last, shuddering breath before finally succumbing to her injuries right there in the street.