Rio and Leanne's apartment was built on the side of a hill, a short way down from its peak. Two streets intersected at the peak, with a stoplight controlling traffic. When Leanne emerged from her apartment building for the final time, some last minute items in hand, Hank and Anna greeted her while standing on the sidewalk. She gave them permission to use her spot in the garage and with the Bentley parking her in, she worked on extracting her car.

Further down the hill, a woman and her husband lived with their four sons, all of them grade school age. Like the way Leanne was in a hurry to get to the airport, the woman was also hurrying to get her sons to school.

Earlier in the day, Joe had called in sick at the Poppsy Soda Bottling Company. This forced Dick into having to work a double shift to cover Joe's route. Dick approached the intersection at the top of the hill near Rio and Leanne's apartment, his truck laden with a heavy load.

The stoplight on the hill turned yellow. Driving an unfamiliar route, Dick accelerated in order to make it.

Rio lay asleep in bed. Disorientated and dazed, she awoke with a start. Where is everyone?

Distracted by her four noisy boys, the woman backed the family van into the street without looking.

"You kind of got me parked in," Leanne said to Hank through her open window, her car sticking out at an odd angle.

Rio watched as the blackness of Death consumed her entire world. What do you want?

Bumbles tore into the street. Hank and Anna screamed.

"Oh my God!"

Rio bellowed full throat at Death. "Who are you after? Tell me!"

Terrible noise from tires and brakes drowned out all other sound. Leanne barely had enough time to glance in her side view mirror as the truck approached, too fast to ever slow down. She may have survived the initial impact with some bit of life in her body, perhaps losing her legs due to a crushed pelvis or a lung from fractured ribs, but when the crash bar in the door of her car was unable to withstand further force, it buckled and gave way.

This allowed the truck to push its way further into the car. Leanne's head bounced off its grillwork, flexing far too much to be mere broken bones. If the blow didn't deliver her to the sweet release of Death, it was now just a matter of time.

Despair roared from Rio. Tears poured down like rain. She'd never felt so helpless, so worthless, so useless, so alone. Anna clung to Hank with both hands before crumpling to the concrete like paper. The wedding kimono absorbed her body until just her head could be seen, its face frozen into a noh mask of horror.

Bumbles stood in the street and barked, all to no avail.

This can't be happening.