One never knows when she could face a life-or-death moment until it comes. One could be thinking everything is just fine a minute—a second—before being faced with it. One never knows what could come and end a life until after that moment hits. Sometimes, one gets a chance to peek and see how they may end, but most of the time, nobody knows until the end comes.

Lilly was thinking today was just like any other day. She thought everything was going to be alright. Nothing had stopped her before, and nothing will stop her now—or at least she thought. Lilly thought life was wonderful. She had a roof over her head, a job and she had everything that she needed. The day began just like any other: she woke up, got out of bed and cleaned the apartment her boyfriend, Miles, and she lived in. She always had time to do so since her job was during second shift.

Once she was done cleaning, Lilly turned to the bathroom to get into the shower. She knew the relaxing stream of water would be soothing to the touch. It did not take long for the water to heat the bathroom up as she stripped off her tank top and baggy shorts. They were her comfy clothes she liked to wear during the night. Once she stepped into the shower, Lilly sighed as the warm water caressed and relieved her tightened muscles. She looked over at the clear plastic and the cotton butterflies and flowers shower curtains her mom helped her pick out. One day, she will make a change to the butterflies and flowers since it did not fit her personality. She did not want to hurt her mother’s feelings by replacing it so soon, though. Lilly took the time to rub the soapy washcloth over her body to get all clean for work.

After Lilly rinsed herself off, she regretted turning the water off so soon since the cool, misty air perforated her space once she opened the shower curtains. She sighed as she changed into her almost clean work clothes—as clean as you can get restaurant uniforms—knowing it would not be long before she would face the icy temperatures of winter. There had not been any snow so far this week, and she thought it would be a good sign on how the rest of the day was going to go.

Lilly started her Toyota Carolla to allow it to warm up for the drive. She was glad she had grey cotton seats as leather would always either be too cold or too hot, depending on the season. Lilly took the time to examine her off brick, two-story apartment building as she sat in the parking lot. She had been glad to find it last year, knowing she could afford it at a good price.

Once she knew the car would run properly, she took the time to drive the two-mile stretch to work. On warm days, Lilly was happy for the chance to walk. She dreamed about those warm temperatures often, not finding the wintery chill inviting. One of the positive things about winter was it did make things beautiful to look at.

She came into the asphalt parking lot of the restaurant she worked at called Subway. It was considered fast food, but Lilly thought it had better food choices than most fast food joints. She turned the car off and made the dash to race inside, trying to limit her time in the frosty temperatures.

“Hey, girl!” Julia called as soon as she saw who came in the warm restaurant.

Lilly smiled and waved to her roommate as she went into the back-break room to put away her things. Once Lilly returned to the main part of the restaurant, she looked over at the creamy, golden walls, lined with promotional posters. She noticed all the tables and booths were clean, meaning it has been a slow day. It was only three o’clock, so supper rush would not start for another one to two hours. Lilly shoved her short, brunette hair into a ponytail as quickly she could before hiding it under her hat. It was a requirement at Subway to always have headgear.

“How you doin’ today?” Julia asked as she wiped the counter down since the customer left the store. No one else has come in at this point.

“Oh, alright,” Lilly sighed as she checked out the supplies, wanting to make sure there was enough if a rush came through—as well as making sure nothing expired was there. She trusted Julia though and knew she would have checked it before Lilly’s arrival.

“Just alright?” Julia looked Lilly’s short frame over to make sure everything was as she said it was. Lilly tried to hide most of her turmoil within, but sometimes, the right person would know things were feeling off about her. Julia did not sense one of those moments. She knew to keep an eye out for her, though; Lilly was turning into one of her best friends.

“Yeah, wishing I was done sooner than I am,” Lilly replied as she went to wash her hands, noticing a couple was coming into the store.

They greeted the customers and got in a line to fill out their orders. The two coworkers worked simultaneously together to get the customers out of the store as fast as they could. They work with each other often, though, and Lilly and Julia know each other’s movements. Once the couple was done, other customers came in, and that is how the rest of the night went. They both made sure to take a break when needed, but they knew time was going faster as they moved on.

At the end of the night, they were ready to close and go home. It had been a steady pace for the day, but Lilly knew time was not as fast as it could have been. She was ready to go home to Miles and watch a movie. It had been a while since they could have a date night due to their work schedules being different. Even though it was after 10 o’clock, they both decided to dedicate the night to themselves.

“Alright, girl,” Julia sighed as she stood behind Lilly as she locked up the restaurant, “I’ll see you later. I’m going to go to boo’s house for the night.”

“Sounds good, Jules,” Lilly smiled as she unlocked her car. “Be safe.”

“Yea, you too,” Julia replied as she shut her door. It did not take long for Julia to drive away. Lilly soon followed behind.

Lilly blasted music as on the ride home. She knew that in a couple miles, she would be home and ready to relax with her own boyfriend. As she rounded one of the corners, though, her car skidded on ice. Lilly felt as she lost control of the car. A stray log lay in the car’s path, flinging itself into the windshield. The log became stuck in the windshield, only two inches away from Lilly’s head. She couldn’t help but scream as she thought death was near. The car swerved into a tree. Lilly felt as the airbags hit her, cocooning her from the danger around her. The force of them coming out made her hit the log. Luckily, there was not a pointed end, though she felt like she could not open her eye after it hit her cheekbone.

All it took was a split second to change the course of her life. Lilly felt her vision blur as she started to pass out. She knew she could not hold consciousness much longer. She could feel her body ache as her mind started to pull away, letting her escape the horrors of the night.