Fall Is Beautiful

Chapter 3: The Car Ride

I had never been particularly fond of car rides, especially long ones. It was the thought of being stuck in a moving box for hours on end that got me messed up. I hated being confined. I hated not being able to be free. I felt like I was a caged animal. "Sin, bathroom break ends in 2 minutes, are you sure you don't need to use it?" Jafar broke me out of my thoughts, and I immediately dove out of the car. Just to get my legs moving. If I didn't, then they'd be there for nothing.

...

"Sinbad, I want you to watch over the car for a second. I'm going to take a bathroom break." Hina said as he pulled the car into a gas station parking lot. I nodded from where I was in the back seat, moving to go to the drivers side once Hina got out of the car.

"Technology, it's not a bathroom if it doesn't have a bath." Jafar mumbled, spreading his short legs out onto the now open back seat. Hina sighed, shaking his head.

"Just lay low, don't get out of the car, and for the love of god don't blast music." I raised my hand to do a salute- for a funny measure since Hina was once in the army- but he had already slammed the door and was walking inside the gas station. Every second waiting was agonizing. I felt anxious, uneasy. Like someone was going to snatch me or my brother up at any moment. I could feel the same unease coming from the latter.

"So, the PSI workers, do you know why they're taking kids into camps?" I questioned, only for Jafar to give me a glare. I was only asking a mere question, he didn't have to get so defensive.

"I don't know. That's why I wish Mr."I'm in charge" over there hadn't smashed our phones. Then we'd at least be able to talk to our friends... ask them what's going on, at least." I turned around in the drivers seat, frowning. My brother had his arms folded, leaning against the door, refusing to meet my gaze.

"Jafar, you said that you saw Shar's life when he hit you. What did you mean by that? Like, did you see your life flash before your eyes or-"

"I meant what I said," Jafar sat up, now his eyes meeting mine with a cold, determined look, "It hurt my head, more than it hurt my nose. Next thing I knew Hina was driving to the hospital over the speed limit to get you. I saw his life, Sin. I saw him when he was a kid, I saw his childhood. I don't know what else to explain it with except for... weird and unnerving-"

CLINK

There was a tap on the drivers door, and I suspected it was Hinahoho, so I started to move back to the backseat. It was odd, really. Usually Hina would just open the car door and insult me to get back to my seat. Strange. Only then did my suspicions end with terror when I saw Jafar's face. It was fear. This was not Hina. I turned back in my seat to look at this person, and met only a mask and eyes. This person was carrying a machete and a rifle, not something you usually see in someone's hands at a gas station. They raised the rifle to the gas, tapping it.

"Unlock it." Were the only words spoken. There was a rule- between Hina, Jafar and I- and it was to never, ever unlock the car without being sure it was safe. But... with the rifle... would it be safe to leave it locked? They could easily shoot through the glass, for crying out loud! I slowly put my hand to the unlock button, feeling Jafar creeping his way to the other door.

"When I unlock it... r u n." I tried my best not to mouth any words, hoping that the person couldn't hear me. I couldn't even tell if Jafar heard me. All I could do was hope. Hope he'd make it out of here, hope he'd find Hina and be safe. Once I finally clicked the unlock button, the drivers door swung open, and I was pulled out of the car. They threw me to the ground, pummeled me, kicked me, spat on me, called me names. Worst of all was how they kept dragging me around the lot. It was hard to tell where I was after a while.