me and the devil - kai parker

28

Maddie awoke with a start, her head throbbing like a jackhammer was drilling inside her skull. She noticed the unfamiliar sensation of the seat beneath her—a leather car seat, her sweat-covered back sticking to it uncomfortably,  not the bed she had fallen asleep in, next to Kai.

Panic surged through her as she realized she was in a moving car, the landscape outside rushing by in a blur of green and gray melting together into a picture she didn't recognize.

"What the hell?" Maddie croaked, her voice rough and laced with anger. She pushed herself upright, every movement sending sharp spikes of pain through her head.

Kai was behind the wheel, his expression focused as he sped down the highway, the engine roaring beneath them. He looked into the rear-view mirror sensing the commotion in the back.

"Good morning to you too,"

Her mind raced as she pieced together the events of the night before. Her eyes widened in realization. "You took my magic again, didn't you?"

He didn't answer right away, his silence only fueling her fury. "You were restless," he finally said, his voice tense. "You needed sleep, and we needed to get out of there and the bus would take too long, and I know you wouldn't agree to th-"

"You put a sleeping spell on me!" Maddie interrupted, her voice rising making the throbbing in her head even worse. "You used my own magic to knock me, It's not yours to take!"

"It was the only way to get you to sleep," Kai retorted, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "And we had to move fast. The motel clerk was—"

"Was what?" She demanded, her voice cold. "Did you steal his car? What's wrong with you, Kai? We were supposed to be lying low, not committing crimes!"

"We didn't have a choice!" Kai snapped back, his voice growing louder. "We need to get to Oregon! You're the one who's always saying we can't trust anyone. I was just protecting us!"

"By stealing a car and using my magic to knock me out? That's your idea of protecting us?" Maddie's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "Pull over. Now."

"No," Kai said, his voice firm. "We're almost in Oklahoma. We can't stop now."

Maddie's eyes narrowed making the math in her head, she must have been knocked out for almost twenty-four hours to make it this far.

"Kai, I'm serious. Pull over, or I'm getting out."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kai muttered, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes as he glanced at her again. "You're not jumping out of a moving car."

"Wanna bet?" Maddie shot back, her hand moving toward the door handle.

"Maddie, stop," Kai warned, his voice sharp. "I'm not messing around. I'll pull over when we're somewhere safe, but you can't just—"

In one swift motion, she yanked the door handle, the door flying open as the wind whipped through the car, drowning out Kai's words. The car swerved slightly as Kai reacted, his eyes wide with panic. She heard the honks of cars behind them.

"Are you insane?!" Kai shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of the wind. "Close the damn door!"

Maddie's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at the blur of the road beneath them. Her mind was a whirlwind of anger, fear, and adrenaline. She could feel the rush of air pulling at her, the ground speeding by like a death trap below.

For a moment, she actually considered it—jumping out, ending this madness once and for all. Killing them both in a quick motion.

"Maddie, please," Kai's voice cracked, his eyes locked on hers, pleading. "Don't do this."