The night was exercising its evil on them; on Kai the most. He and Rose drove around the deep of the forest and lost their sense of direction. The full moon cast a soft white glow on the tar road and among the leaves of pine trees flanking it.
Since the sky was free of clouds, Kai’s mortal eyes could see quite a distance ahead, where there was nothing but more road and trees. They were nowhere near to getting a door.
Kai clenched his jaws as he struggled to put aside the fact that his time was stolen, and passed it by exploring the dashboard. From the glove compartment, he pocketed a cellphone and, finding nothing else of value to savor, turned the rear-view mirror here and there until he adjusted it to what he liked.
On the backseat, another girl’s body laid face downwards and it shook lightly whenever the car hit a pothole. Kai’s glassy eyes, slate as stone, regarded the image emotionlessly. “Your friend. What was her name?”
Rose, whose dark hair concealed her face from his sight, looked ahead as she drove, somewhat firmly. When he saw her hair more clearly, it oddly reminded him of a raven’s wing.
“You’re no mute, are you?”
She shook her head.
He was watching her closely and dried blood pulled at his facial skin as he drew his eyebrows together. Seeming to have come to some realization, he nodded to himself and winced as he leaned back on the chair to find a comfortable sitting position.
“I had a mute for a friend once. A very sweet girl. Could charm the skin off a snake with one smile.” He was staring at the dashboard and his gaze was going cloudy. “Her name comes and goes, but somehow,” he said, turning to Rose’s obscured face, “your hair reminds me of hers.”
He was now looking at her so intensely that, for a moment, he’d forgotten what her name was.
“Your friend didn’t have to die. You could’ve fled the scene immediately and, no doubt, by now you would’ve been far beyond my reach. Why didn’t you run?”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t know.” He nodded thoughtfully. “You talk as if you have a firm command over your emotions. I like that.” Kai extended a thin hand to Rose. “My friends call me Kai.”
But Rose only accelerated the car. It was only logical for Kai to return his hand.
“Had the same pleasure of meeting you too, Rose. The same can’t be said for your friend, though. I’m glad I broke her neck. Aren’t you?”
“Go to hell.”
“Been there, got kicked out. And mind your tongue. It wanders farther than it should,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt. Even with all the windows rolled down, the air around the car was still too hot, and Rose’s foul attitude was added to his displeasure.
He was also irked by how weak she was with the accelerator, and the last thing he’d tolerate of her was her sharp mouth. “Keep driving and talk once you find a cabin.”
He slumped on the chair and stared ahead.
He'd lost his phone in the accident. Doubtless, his inbox was flooded with Zaelo’s “concerned” text by now.
This was the least of his concerns, of course, and it would come as a shock to him if Zaelo hadn’t already figured out a way to track down his whereabouts. It was an annoying habit of his.
The car came to a stop and when Kai looked to the left, he saw a lone cabin. It loomed among the trees and glared down at them with empty windows like sockets.
“That was exceptional driving. I’d like to reward you,” he said.
Rose gave him a sideways glance and traced a scar that was on her arm. “I don’t want anything.”
