I never thought I would be in this situation - trapped under a car wreck with a colleague I'd never actually hung out with outside of work, covered in blood and gore, with no idea if anyone will come to save us. But here I am, Caroline Hertig, and here is Alice Flamand, and we're both stuck in this dire predicament. Now, you might think I would be freaked out by all of this - the grinding sound of metal, the searing pain, the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. And trust me, part of me really is. But mostly, I'm just mad that my brand new suit is ruined. I mean, come on, the stitching was impeccable, and now it's all shredded to pieces. Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure I can't feel my legs at all. That's not great, but the suit is just downright tragic. Alice looks over at me, her face twisted up in agony. "What are we going to do?" she whispers. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "We're going to figure out a way to get out of here," I say firmly. "And then we're going to tell the world what's really going on with our company." Alice's eyes widen. "You're serious?" "Deadly serious," I reply. "I'm sick of lying to the public about the safety of our products. And I have evidence to prove it." She nods slowly. "If we make it out of this alive, I'll help you." "I knew I could count on you," I say, trying to hide the pain that's still coursing through my body. "But first, we need to get some help. Do you have any idea where we are?" Alice shakes her head. "I...I don't know. We were on the main road and then..." She trails off, and I don't blame her. The accident came out of nowhere - one second we were driving along, and the next, we were careening into a ditch. I don't even remember if there was another car involved. I take a quick inventory of my pockets, searching for my phone. It's completely wrecked, of course, melted by whatever chemicals spilled out of the car's engine. But I do manage to find the flash drive, still intact. It's a small victory, but it gives me hope. "Okay, we need to think," I say, trying to ignore the dizziness that's starting to cloud my vision. "We can't just wait here for someone to find us. We need to try to signal for help." Alice glances around, wincing as she touches the stump where her leg used to be. "How?" I chew on my lip, searching for an answer. And then I remember - I always have road flares in the trunk of my car, in case of emergencies. Maybe if we can set one off, someone will see it. "We need to find the flares," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "Can you move at all?" She tries to shift, but gasps in pain. "No...I can barely feel anything. Can you?" I look down at my legs, which are twisted at unnatural angles. "No," I admit. "But I have an idea." I manage to wriggle my arm free from under the wreckage, reaching into my pocket for my lighter. It's still there, miraculously untouched. I flick it open and hold the flame up, trying to see if there's anything I can use to burn. Alice looks at me like I'm insane. "What are you doing?" "Starting a fire," I say, holding the flame up to the remains of my shirt. It catches quickly, and I wave it around, trying to create as much smoke as possible. "It might not be enough, but it's something." To my surprise, Alice starts to laugh. It's a strained, pained sound, but it's laughter nonetheless. "You're crazy, Caroline," she says. "You know that?" I roll my eyes, trying to stay focused. "Yeah, I know. But it's better than just sitting here waiting to die, don't you think?" She nods, and we both fall into an uneasy silence, watching the smoke swirl around us. I try not to think about the fact that we might never make it out of here, that my suit will forever be a bloody, shredded mess. But I can't help it. As we wait for someone - anyone - to rescue us, I find myself thinking about all the things I've missed out on, all the things I've never done. And maybe it's the painkillers talking, but I start to feel oddly content. If this is where it all ends, at least I know I've stood up for something, and I've done it in style. And who knows? Maybe they'll make a movie about us someday. The brave whistleblowers, trapped under a car wreck, fighting for the truth. It's not the worst legacy to leave behind, all things considered. But for right now, I just want someone to come and save us. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to save my suit too.