It was a scorching hot day, so hot that the air shimmered. It's the kind of day where touching anything metal is a death sentence. The burning stare of a ruthless sun soared into a cloudless sky, singing an old Chevy Astro Camper racing down a lengthy stretch of country road. Even though the van's air conditioner was only blowing lukewarm air, the driver was unconcerned about the heat. Not even a rolled-up sleeve for accommodation.
The closer they went to their goal, their eyes remained fixed on the tiny stretch of dark asphalt ahead, following the thrumming in their veins rather than the GPS. As they were ready to look at the navigation gadget, a flash of movement grabbed their sight in the rearview mirror. With a hefty foot, the driver slammed on the brakes. There was a loud thud from the back of the van. The driver strained their ears and looked in the rearview mirror, but there was nothing there.
The van slowly resumed its journey along the barren road. The driver took their eyes off the road once more after almost missing a sharp bend down a nondescript dirt road into the woods, muttering under their breath as one arm reached out to catch an old leather bag that was on the edge of tipping over.
The van and its driver continued along the dirt route for some minutes before reaching the end when they came upon a pretty tall fence constructed of various ages of sheet metal. The driver didn't seem to notice, instead reaching for their phone and skimming through the instructions left by the client before tossing it aside once more. The horn of the van blasted three times in a row. There was a screeching sound as the gate was dragged across a track after a few beats with no response.
A younger woman than the driver had expected waved and motioned for him to proceed. The driver watched in the rearview mirror as the young woman closed and secured the gate once the truck had crossed the line. As she checked and rechecked the many locks on the gate, and tested and retested the strength of the locks with quivering fingers, the driver's gaze never left the girl's reflection.
The driver could tell the fidgety woman was the person who had called him even without the thrumming. As the young woman nervously observed the van, she appeared to muster enough courage to trudge past it and over to her own vehicle, which was parked a few yards ahead. As she entered the car, the young woman raised her hand in the air but did not return his gaze to the driver. To obey, there is no need to say anything. So, with a final peek in the rearview mirror at the gate, the driver did just that.
The road was narrower than the one on which the vehicle had just passed. For the majority of the ride, a part of each of its wheels was dangling precariously off the edge of the road, yet the driver never slowed down. The roof of a home gradually emerged from the dense greenery. The defenses that surrounded it did as well. The roof was the only section of the house that could be seen, with the remainder hidden behind a strong wood fence with no clear entry point. The road they were driving on broadened into a single-space driveway, with the van following closely behind.
The key had just been yanked out of the ignition by the young woman in the automobile. She calmed himself by taking a big breath and looking in her rearview mirror, hoping to see the strange van driver's face. But all he saw was the headrest of an empty seat, and she blinked in surprise. Then, before she could think any further about it, a harsh knock sounded on dirty glass near her ear. The young woman jumped and whipped her head to the left when she heard the noise. The van's driver was now standing just outside her vehicle's door.
While she gaped at the other driver, the young woman's eyes widened. As she battled between screaming and attempting to find something to say, the young woman's mouth opened and closed ineffectively. The van driver stood there watching as new droplets of sweat formed on the woman's brow. They turned and moved briskly to the fence after taking in the younger woman's effort for a few moments. A silent order to speed up. The young driver forced down a strong swallow in an attempt to clear the lump in her throat. After a few more moments, she got out of the truck and dashed for the fence, not daring to look at the darkly dressed figure.
