man destroys god || i. malcolm

5

"Hey, what'd I touch?" Alan raised his hands up away from the steering wheel.

"Nothing, we stopped." Aria looked out the window, trying to gauge their location. "Great, we're with the goddamn T-Rex again."

"There's electric fences, Mayfield, we're fine." Ian said distractedly, looking outside as well.

"The power's out, smartass. They're just fences."

The other two adults stopped, glancing over at her. All three of them were unsure if it was true or not, but they prayed they wouldn't have to find out. Does God always answer? Well, not when man has destroyed him.

They checked the radio. Unresponsive. The storm was getting worse, and fast. "I should check on the kids." Aria said suddenly.

"Do not leave this car." Both men said in unison, then looked at each other with contempt.

Alan continued. "It's unsafe, it's too stormy to leave the car."

"They need me, Alan. I can't just leave them with that fool of a lawyer."

Alan bit his lip, then agreed. "I'll go check on them, I don't want you to have to talk to that man."

Alan opened the door and hurried to the other car.

"I am sorry, you know. For earlier. Poor timing on my part. I, uh, I am relieved to know that you're unmarried. No Mr. Mayfields running around out there?"

"Careful, Malcolm. Anyone would think you were flirting." Aria smirked. She'd regained her grip on herself. However easily flustered she was, she could deliver when it came to flirting with someone. It was just hard when they did it back.

"I told you, Mayfield. It's Ian. And would it be so bad if I was?" He leaned forward. She hadn't noticed that he had moved back to the middle seat and was now far closer than expected.

Aria opened her mouth to respond, glaring at him teasingly. Before she could say anything else, Alan returned. Ian and Aria separated immediately. Alan didn't notice, or at least ignored it.

"Their radio's out, too. Gennaro said to stay put."

"Kids okay?" Ian interrupted.

Aria leaned toward the front seat for an answer. He didn't give one. "The kids, Alan?" She repeated.

"I didn't ask."

"The one thing I asked you to do, really?"

Alan sighed, apologized quickly, and said, "But why wouldn't they be?"

"Kids get scared." Ian said, glancing over at Aria.

"What's scary, it's just a little hiccup in the power."

"I didn't say I was scared." Ian said defensively. The two men went back and forth on it, and Aria tuned them out. After a minute of silence, Aria pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged. "Do you know any ghost stories?"

"What are you, ten years old?" Ian asked.

"What, do you hate fun?" Aria frowned at him. Her feelings about the man fluctuated greatly in just seconds. First, he's handsome and intriguing. Then, he's an asshole. Then, he's fun to flirt with. Then, he's an asshole again.

"No, really, how old are you?"

Aria refused to answer. "Will you stop asking me questions to justify to yourself that you want to get in my pants? Don't worry, Doctor, it's just a boner. You'll be okay." She rubbed his shoulder in fake-reassurance before reaching up to smack the side of his head. She slumped back in her seat.