#us20

“You guys found each other after that?”

“Leah picked me up on the side of the road. My car broke down just outside the city as I was trying to escape.”

“I thought she was going to throw herself into the river,” Leah said.

Abigail did not respond. She looked out the window into the darkness.

“Her parents both died in the city,” Leah whispered to Najia.

“I threw out my favorite sword,” Abigail muttered. “Didn’t you say Marlon had a sword?”

Najia nodded.

“I think we should team up with him.”

“Well,” Najia said. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

Abigail crossed her arms.

“This is fun,” Leah said sarcastically. “Do you have any CDs? I brought some of mine.”

“No,” Najia said quickly. “No music.”

Leah’s hand stopped in mid air, hovering over her bag. “Okay,” she said slowly, leaning back in her seat. “Someone hate’s music.”

Najia bit her lower lip. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “Do whatever you want.”

Leah shook her head. “Nope, we don’t have to. No music.” She smiled reassuringly at Najia.

“How much longer are we gonna drive?” Abigail said, her voice on the verge of a whine.

“She gets cranky,” Leah said quietly.

“I don’t get cranky,” Abigail hissed.

“I don’t know,” Najia said with a shrug. “Until dinner.” She checked the fuel gage. She would need to find a station soon. The cans in the back were already empty.

“What about a stop at the next city?” Najia suggested. “I could use some more gas.”

“The city?” Abigail repeated. “Won’t they find us?”

Najia hesitated. “Maybe. But we won’t make it much further out here, and I don’t think we’ll find a station any time soon, either.”

“There’s a little town a few exits up,” Leah said. “May be a safer option.”

They continued to drive for another hour until they reached the exit. The headlights flashed around the exit ramp and lit their way through the empty town. The passengers were stiff as they drove through the town, uneasy, in search of a gas station. Najia pulled into the first one they found and Abigail and Leah ransacked the mart for anything they could get their hands on. She fueled up the tank, then proceeded to fill the two gas cans when an all too familiar hiss caught her attention.

Najia straightened, releasing her hold on the gas nozzle to immediately reach for her gun. She froze as she listened. The hissing wasn’t very close, but close enough to send her in a panic. The Shadow People were literally hiding in the shadows, right under her nose, and they were ready to attack.

She backed away slowly from the gas can and near the light from the headlights, but the Shadow People were quick to anticipate her movement. They swooped in around her, preventing her from reaching the safety of the light and knocking her to the ground. Najia let her arms swing desperately as they closed in around her. She shot off a couple rounds into the air and they scattered for a moment, giving her just enough time to roll away and get to her feet.

Alerted by her gun shots, Leah and Abigail ran out of the store. Leah held a pistol in her hand, ready to fend of the creatures. The Shadow People circled the three women, pushing in closer and closer, hissing loudly before bombarding them with attacks once more.

Abigail tried desperately to fend them off with her flashlight as Leah took aim, hitting two of the creatures squarely. Najia ran towards the car, but she wasn’t quick enough as another creature swooped in. She stumbled backwards, knocking the gas can over, gas spilling all around her and the car. She cursed loudly as she scrambled to her feet, flailing her arms as the creatures pressed in around her.

Abigail’s light found Najia, offering her a moment of protection as the Shadow People scattered away from the light, screeching. Najia ran to their side and the three stood back to back as the Shadow People began to close in once more, careful to avoid Abigail’s erratic light.

“Don’t shoot,” Najia muttered.

“I’m shooting,” Leah said.

“The place will blow,” Najia hissed.

“Then we better start running.”

“Oh, hell,” Abigail mumbled.

The three of them sprinted into the night, the Shadow People hissing loudly behind them. As they made their way out of the gas station, Leah took aim at the car and the spilled gas, firing off three rounds quickly. The gas ignited and flames engulfed the station quickly behind them. They could feel the heat on their backs as they just narrowly escaped. The shrieks of the Shadow People filled the silent air eerily.

“We’re not out of the woods,” Najia reminded them as they continued to run down the road. “We’ve just attracted a whole hell of a lot of attention.”

“And Leah just blew up our fucking car,” Abigail hissed.

“We’ve got plenty of cars around,” Najia said. “We can get another car.”

“Where do you expect to find a car?” Abigail shouted. “This place is a ghost town.”

“Used car dealership?” Leah pulled their wrists across the road. They ran through back yards, hopping fences, towards the old dealership sign that Leah had spotted.

“Great,” Abigail muttered. “Let’s sign the paperwork and get the keys.”

“No need,” Najia said as she quickly picked out a small SUV. The first was locked, but she moved to the next one at the end of the row, which proved to be unlocked and at their disposal. Najia slid into the seat and set to work hot wiring the vehicle.

“What a fortunate skill to have during the apocalypse,” Abigail muttered.

“I was fortunate to be with a doctor, too,” Najia reminded them.

“Well, then, please don’t leave us.”

“Keep up your sarcastic shit and I just might.”

“Enough,” Leah growled at them. “We don’t have time.”

In the distance, the familiar shrieks of the Shadow People rose through the darkness. They were drawn to the explosion at the gas station, alerted now to the human presence, and they were ready for vengeance.

Najia’s hands shook as she worked. The SUV sputtered, but did not turn over.

“Why aren’t you good at this,” Abigail yelled to her.

“I am good at this!”

“Najia,” Leah warned.

Abigail swung her flashlight across the parking lot. The cries grew louder, closer. The engine continued to sputter a few more times before it finally turned over and Najia breathed a sigh of relief. Leah and Abigail climbed in quickly and Najia floored it out of the parking lot, down the road and back toward the high way.

Najia peered through the night, catching sight of their glowing eyes as they made their way off the ramp and onto the highway. The Shadow People had found a short cut, beating the three women to the high way and cutting them off.

Najia pressed harder on the accelerator and the needle climbed up the speedometer. Leah rolled down her window, leaned out, and slid a new magazine into the gun.

“Take the wheel,” Najia yelled to Abigail. She hit the button for the moon roof and pulled herself through, taking aim with her gun as Abigail crawled over the console and into the driver’s seat.

The Shadow People scattered as the vehicle neared, escaping it’s head lights, but swarmed in quickly as Abigail attempted to spin the car around to catch them in the headlights once more. Najia gripped the side of the roof as she struggled to take aim at the dark creatures. She shot blindly into the darkness but did not seem to make contact.

“Just go,” she shouted down to Abigail. “Get us out of here.”

Abigail spun the car around once more. The tires skidded dangerously on the pavement and she lost control. The SUV careened off the road and into the desert before coming to a stop.

“Go!” Leah shouted.

Abigail slammed on the pedal once more and the SUV jolted forward, kicking dust up in their wake as they sped through. Leah and Najia continued to fire at the creatures until all they could hear was the roar of the engine.

Najia slid back into the car and fell into the back seat with a heavy sigh. Leah climbed back in, closing the window, and glared at Abigail.

“Who in the hell taught you to drive?”

“Uh, normal people who live in normal cities,” Abigail hissed.