Everglow: Friend From Far Away

9 - Road Home

The inside of the car was eerily silent. The radio was off, neither of the two inside the car had said anything since they left the highway. The only sound inside the vehicle was the rumble of the wheels on the road and the grunting of the engine.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?

"You're insane bringing that thing home."

"What do you think is going to happen when someone finds out?"

"Both of you will be locked up, probably even worse."

Over and over again the voices in his head rambled on, trying to convince him that what he was doing could only end in disaster. Like he needed any convincing.

Keeping his hands on the steering wheel, he took a quick glimpse at the rear view mirror above the front window. In it's reflection sat Ko, her head pointed at the window, her gaze fixated on the new, strange land around her. She tried to make sense of her surroundings.

Strange buildings shaped like blocks. Vehicles that were splashed in the colour yellow that looked to have huge arms coming out of them, digging into the ground, small orange lights flashing on the top. Rows and rows of bushes and plants that flanked what Fischer had previously told her to be 'a road.'

All around the sides of the road were humans, each one of them dressed in different clothing. They were like ants, scurrying around, doing their daily routines. They were so free, not a care in the world. Well, as far as she could tell.

The sudden sound of Fischer's voice cut through the empty silence.

"Ko, please just make sure you're not too close to the window. Try and keep that sheet around you as best you can," he emphasised. The windows of his car were slightly tinted, but someone with a keen eye could easily make out the otherworldly lizard creature sat in the back seat.

Luckily, their vehicle was just another brick in the wall. Hundreds of cars and trucks lined the roads, helping them blend in with the traffic. To any overlooking bystander, they were just another car on the road.

It wasn't long before they hit an intersection. Ko spied a set of strange poles with lights on them. Just as she had done countless times before, she stared out the window and opened her mouth...

"Why do those poles have lights on them?"

"They're called traffic lights, they control the flow of traffic," Fischer replied, letting out a small exhale after. As much as he understood why, her curiosity was beginning to get to him. Like a child constantly asking their parents 'why'? "Look, I know you have a lot of questions but I can't answer them while I'm driving ok? I'll tell you about everything when we get home ok?"

"Ok, sorry," she whimpered, huddling back into her ragged cloak.

"You don't need to be sorry, I know you're confused. It's just very hard to answer all your questions. Driving requires a lot of concentration," he explained, trying to sound as sympathetic as he could. The last thing he wanted was to make it sound like he was frustrated with her.

---\/---

As the car pulled up to the driveway, a huge gulp slid down Fischer's throat. It was now around seven o'clock. His mother was probably awake, given the call earlier. They were no longer shielded by partial darkness like they were on the road. The sun was now shining brightly, it's rays lighting everything in sight.

The question of 'is mother awake' was promptly answered when he heard the racket coming from inside the house. The sound of pans being smashed together as she presumably "tidied" the kitchen was unmistakable. But at least that meant she was busy. Fischer turned in his seat so he was facing Ko.

Getting his new acquaintance into the house was one thing, but finding a place for her to stay was another entirely. The house was relatively small, meaning every room was used on a somewhat regular basis. There was really no place that would hide Ko other than Fischer's room. However, maybe she didn't have to stay in the house. . .

"Alright. I uh, as you can probably tell I've never exactly had to hide someone from anyone. That being said If you stay up in the shed out the back, you should be alright. Mum never goes up there and it's got enough room for you to sleep in and all that sort of stuff."

Ko's eyes were darting around, trying to take in the details of the exterior of the house. It was made of a red brick, with a rusty tin roof. It didn't look awful, but it was a far cry from what people would call a good house. The sound of Fischer's voice drilled back into her head, and she once again fixed her focus on him.

"I'm going to hop out and go inside, tell my mum that everything is fine and I was just running a little late ok? I need you to stay here and keep hidden. As long as no one sees us, this should be easy ok?"

"Ok," Ko said with nervousness staining her speech. Despite all the new things she had seen, those things that Fischer had said about his race, that they'd kill her if they got the chance, they were welded into her head.

She watched as Fischer opened the car door and slid out. He pulled the keys from the ignition and with one quick glance back at the alien in his vehicle, he shut the door. His footsteps slowly grew quieter as he moved further from his passenger.

Slowly wrapping the ragged cloth around her even tighter, a small whimper escaped from her mouth. It became clear to her again, that she was alone. With the only person who she trusted, well semi-trusted gone, she sat in the car alone. The only sound being her nervous breath and her beating heart.

A heart that was sick and tired of being alone.