FicWad

Nancy stormed through the entrance of Macy's Department Store. She needed this day to herself. She had goals, and she was hoping that emptying out her enormous wallet would help her mind sort things out. Nancy had just recently broken up with her boyfriend, and this had left her feeling completely distraught. The mall had always helped her contain her emotions in the past. This time, though, her anger was even more severe. She could feel it tearing at her heart as the tears welled up in her eyes. Her fists would clench each time she envisioned that perfect, smiling face of Dean's.
Stomping over to the swim section of Macy's, she quickly examined the new bathing suits. None of them were appealing to her and she didn't exactly feel like trying any of them on. She had no idea how many pounds she had gained from just that one night of indulging in chocolate and sobbing in front of soap operas. I am so pathetic! She thought to herself, scowling. She decided to move onto the stores with a better atmosphere that might cheer her up, like American Eagle or Abercrombie!
As she was walking through the mall, she noticed a large crowd gathered in front of Hollister. She then heard what she thought to be the feedback of a microphone. "Excuse me?" Nancy said, motioning to a girl who looked about eight. "Do you know what's going on over there?"
The tiny girl shook her head, causing her bags from Limited Too to bounce against her knees. "My mommy won't let me shop there yet. She says it's for teenagers. Sorry!"
"Oh, it's alright. Thanks anyway." Nancy frowned at the girl, imagining how crazy she would have gone if her mother had been that protective. Her mind then snapped back to what she was focused on, and she curiously began to approach the chaotic entrance.
By the time she had pushed her way through the crowd, she had been elbowed and kicked at least a dozen times. Nancy began to feel paranoid, remembering the stories she'd heard of how people can easily pickpocket your purse in a crowd. "Hey, watch it, asshole!" She screeched at a large, burly man who purposely shoved her forward. "What are you even doing at this store anyway? It's not like any of the clothes would fit you." She narrowed her eyes before realizing the harshness of her tone. How could I have just said that? This whole thing with Dean is really screwing with my mind. I have to get out of here! Nancy smiled weakly at the man, whose face seemed to be burning with fury, and sprinted as quickly as she could away from him. When, she finally broke through the last of the excited teens, she sighed with relief. The man was nowhere in sight. She then decided to give up on discovering what all the fuss was about. After all, it was noon, and she was getting pretty hungry!
Since she no longer felt the need to diet, having no one to be pretty for, she headed straight for McDonald's. She eagerly ordered a Big Mac with a double order of fries, along with a chocolate shake and plopped herself down into one of the booths. She was so excited about taking that first juicy bite of the burger that she actually cheered out loud. "Yes, yes! So good, oh yes!" She squealed, squirming in her seat as her teeth sunk into the grease-coated patty. She could see a family staring at her from the corner of her eye, but she didn't care. Who knew she could feel so energized from just one small bite of junk food?
"Oh, god damnit, I have missed you!" She slurped down the shake. It was magical. It was completely absurd! Was she hallucinating? She could swear that her sudden burst of joy was shaking the floor.
But then, she froze when the first scream erupted from across the mall. The scream was followed by many more as an extremely loud, irritating noise echoed from above the restaurant. It sounded like a furious, bellowing cow! "Of course, just when I start to have a good time, something crazy has to happen!" She rolled her eyes and popped a fry into her mouth. Everyone in the restaurant fell dead silent as a whooshing sound was heard just above their heads. It was louder than anything Nancy had ever heard. She covered her ears and screamed to drown out the noise, but she just couldn't. The whooshing seemed to go on for so long, when the bellow sounded again. This time, she realized what it was: the horn of a semi-truck! She immediately opened her eyes to see that everyone had cleared out of the McDonald's, and she was the only one left. Suddenly, without any warning, a huge crash sounded above her. A gleam of metal and glass flashed across her vision as she ducked down. Debris fell on top of her and something sharp dug viciously into her wrist. Before she could yell out, arms wrapped around her sides and roughly pulled her out of her seat. Then, things went black.
Nancy awoke to the pain. It was everywhere. Her head was throbbing, almost pounding to its own pulse, and her wrist stung horribly. She tried to open her eyes, but she only saw red. She lifted her hands to her face, causing her to painfully twist her wrist. Her face was wet. Wet with blood! Wiping her eyes, she was able to open them. She glanced dizzily around in the darkness, trying to remember what had happened.
"You're awake! Thank god."
Nancy jumped when she heard a male voice speak out. "Who's there?" She replied, nervously.
"Don't worry, you're okay now. Here, take my hand." The room was completely dark. She felt warm fingers wrap around her own, and the light from a flashlight suddenly burned into her eyes. She shrieked, and covered her mouth, staring into the face of a young man.
"Jesus, you're bleeding more than I thought. We need to get you to a doctor." He stared at her long and hard, breathing heavily.
"What happened? Why is it so dark? How did you..." It was then that she realized who she was talking to. His face lined the walls of her bedroom. She spent so many hours listening to his music, watching his videos, and daydreaming about him. It was Pete Wentz! "Ohmigod! It's... it's you." Nancy whispered.
He laughed. "Uh... yeah, I'm Pete. What's your name?"
"N-Nancy," She squeezed his hand tighter, widening her eyes.
"Do you remember what happened? A completely crazy person drove a semi-truck into the mall and it fell right on top of the McDonald's. I grabbed you and pulled you into here before it hit. It was going to fall directly on top of you."
"So... you saved me? You're my hero! I could have died. But, how did the truck get in here in the first place? And why is a person like you at some measly little mall in Aurora?"
"I don't know how the truck got in here. But as far as I go, it's a long story. Me and the guys... well, the band, were playing a private show inside of Hollister (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkj2Af-75tU) when this all happened."
"So that's why there was such a big crowd. Did you ever get to play?"
"Well, we started to when they told us that we had to evacuate. We all ran down into the food court, figuring that the truck would stay on the upper level, when it came crashing down over the ledge and onto the restaurants. I couldn't believe it!"
"Wow, well, where are we now? I can't see anything."
Pete shone the miniature flashlight around the room that was attached to his car keys. From what she could make out, Nancy saw plastic bags, a box that read 'Catsup' and a few plastic forks and knives. "I think we're in the McDonald's storage room." She said.
"I wonder if I can find the light switch. It may have just been flipped off when something fell on it." Pete stood up and began to feel around for the switch, using the small light to guide him. "I found it!" He yelled. "Now we can get out of here and take you to the hospital."
Nancy heard him flip the switch upward, but the light didn't come on.
He tried it again and then sighed angrily. "Shit, the power's out!" Just as both of them thought nothing could get worse, the small flashlight he was holding flickered, and then went out. "Damn, what the hell are we going to do now?"
"I don't know... this is horrible!" Nancy cried. She heard Pete start to breath heavily again. She could tell he was scared. "I don't hear any movement. Do you... do you think anyone's alive out there?"
"I don't know, Nancy. We have to find a way to get out. I don't want you to bleed to death. I looked you over with the flashlight before you woke up and you have a pretty bad gash on your wrist. I need to find a towel, something to pressurize it." He began feeling around in the kitchen, stumbling over things. He then paused. "Wait, what am I doing? Here."
When Pete reached her again, Nancy felt a warm cloth wrap around her wrist and tighten forcefully. She gasped, wincing with pain.
"Sorry, I know it must hurt. I have to cut off the blood flow. The only thing I can use is my shirt." He said, lifting her arm up to elevate it. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Nancy's voice caught in her throat. The only thing she could think about was how much Pete seemed to care about her, and the fact that he was shirtless just inches away. She could feel the heat from his body and it made her shiver. If only there was light... "God, you're a savior. I feel some cuts on my face, but they don't hurt as bad. What about you?"
"No, I'm okay, I think. I don't feel any pain."
"That's good. Ugh, now your shirts going to be soaked with blood!" Nancy laughed a little. "I'll buy you a new one once we get out of here." Not that he'd ever want to shop with me, she thought.
"Hey, it's a shirt. If I know I can save you, nothing matters."
Nancy's heart jumped. "Thanks," She breathed. "I've never had anyone care so much about me." There was a moment of silence and she could feel Pete so close to her. She felt his breath on her neck.
"Wait... maybe there's another flashlight in here. This is a storage room, after all." Nancy stood up too quickly and had to balance herself on Pete's bare shoulder. Her head was still throbbing and she felt dizzy.
"I'll guide you, just move forward carefully," Pete said, placing his hand on the small of her back for support. "I'm pretty sure the counter's over this way. My eyes are starting to become adjusted."
Nancy's hands reached forward and she gripped onto the wooden side of a counter top. She lifted her arms and felt above the counter, trying to find a shelf or a cabinet. Her fingers glided along a flat, dusty surface for what seemed like forever until she touched something hard. She cried out in surprise and jerked her hand away. "There's something up there. It could be a dead rat, for all I know."
"Well, what did it feel like?"
"All I know is that it was hard."
"I'll reach up there. Move over a little bit." Pete bit his bottom lip as his knee slammed into the metal handle of a cabinet, but ignored the pain. He outstretched his arm and felt along the surface above him. "I think these are some batteries. Wait... here's a bottle. It could be cleaning fluid." There were a few moments of silence as Nancy listened to Pete's grunts of frustration. She was just about to close her eyes from exhaustion when a blinding light flooded the room. It was a small, concentrated area of light, but it illuminated everything. She felt like she had just overcome being blind after a million years of blackness.
"Pete!" She exclaimed. "You did it!" Nancy jumped up and down excitedly.
"I can't believe how lucky that was!" He said, grinning.
Now that there was light, she was able to really see him. He was squinting from the light. His face was coated with sweat, yet Nancy found that even more attractive. His eyebrows were dark and furrowed with concern. Pete Wentz was here with her. Pete Wentz had saved her from a horrible accident! Just then, Nancy really began take in how amazing this situation was. She also realized that she had just been gazing oddly at him, and he was now smirking.
"I can't even imagine how scary I must look right now." She breathed, giggling a little.
"You look as beautiful as anyone can look with blood all over their face." Pete laughed too and took her hand again. "Let's go."