A beam of bright light swept over her. Although she knew the light was coming from the lighthouse, her mind had drawn inward, shifting her focus off her driving. As a result, she was startled when the brilliant white shaft suddenly pierced the car’s interior, and her hands jerked on the wheel. The car swerved to the right. A darkness loomed in front of her as the vehicle threatened to plunge into the culvert, and she automatically tried to swerve left. She overcompensated. Worse, she hit a patch of ice, and the SUV slid sideways for a few feet.
She fought the wheel to keep the vehicle stable and on the road. Pumping the brakes, she thought she'd managed to regain control until she hit a rock or small sand hill and went sailing into the air. The car twisted, landing hard on its passenger side, and turned over in a three-quarter roll before sliding to a squealing halt. It finally came to rest on the driver's side, tires spinning uselessly. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was the sound of the windshield wipers squeaking as they continued to clear the rain that was trying to ice over the front glass.
And then...darkness.
