Living the Dream

part 6

Our designated driver started talking in fast Czech; I didn’t have a clue what he was saying. But I did get from it that he was talking about me, as he kept pointing at me a couple of times. He even looked at me, I noticed in shock. If he was watching me it meant he wasn’t watching the road anymore! I couldn’t help yelling: “Watch the freaking road, you idiot!”

Steve grabbed the wheel the moment the guys turned to face me. He looked quite angry and yelled something back at me which could have been anything from ‘mind your own business’ to some other less intelligent remark. I just stared at him with big eyes, not knowing how to respond. This day was getting worse by the second. Steve snarled something in Czech at him, which immediately drew the other guys attention back to driving. My heart rate was going fast, I had trouble breathing.

“I want to get out now, Steve!” I blurred out. I was on the verge of shouting. Steve turned back to me so abruptly it startled me. He looked furious and dead serious and the spoke. The tone dark and threatening as he spoke: “Shut the hell up, Emma! You are going to get us killed if you keep it up!”

I was sure I didn’t hear that right! Now I was the one who would get us killed??? How did that happen?

“You stop this fucking car or I -” I stopped myself from speaking. Because, what would I do? What COULD I do?

“Yeah, I thought as much,” said Steve dryly, turning back in his seat. And silence return, well apart from the guy driving the car who was still voicing whatever beef he had with us or the situation.

We passed a few villages and every time we passed one I hoped we would stop. And every time I watched the safety of those houses disappear into the distance. Twilight gave way to a darker sky. The road was not lit by streetlights and it gave me the creeps as the guy behind the wheel drove us somewhere unknown. By the time we had passed a sixth or so village I had had it. I was frustrated, I felt without hope. I just wanted to get out of this car. I needed to get away from the driver, away from Steve who I didn’t trust anymore. I had managed to pull off my shoe using my other foot. It might not help much, but it would sure beat breaking the window with my arm, hands or elbow.

I grabbed my shoe and hit the window as hard as I could. Nothing happened. Well, not exactly nothing. The next thing I knew - before I could even think of hitting the window again - I was pulled backwards harshly. Steve took my shoe and hit me on the head with it while shouting frantically what an idiot I was for even coming up with such a plan. He used pretty colorful language to describe my intelligence. I lost control, or rather I had lost control the moment we got into this car, but now things got too damn weird for me. I really couldn’t take anymore.

The second Steve threw me my shoe back I started hitting him with it.

“See if you like this, you freaking low life! I want out of this car, and I want to get out now! I don’t care what you have to do, make it stop." It didn’t surprise me in the least that the driver started to interfere with me hitting Steve who was protecting himself and trying to get a grip on my shoe. I started hitting the driver too.

“Watch the road, you moron! You want to get us all killed?” No, he probably didn’t, right now I was the one making it happen by hitting him. I wanted out and all of a sudden the guy hit the brakes, making me fly forward between them, hitting my head on the dashboard pretty hard. The impact of it all was mind blowing; I lost consciousness.

I didn’t know how long I was out. I came to in a hotel lobby. Having a hell of a head ache,  not to mention the pain in my nose. The guy from the front desk was watching me curiously as a lady in a nice but cheap suit came over to me.

“Hi,” she greeted me in broken English. I couldn’t help smiling even though it made my nose feel even worse. I couldn’t believe my luck; a friendly person who I could actually understand. I felt so happy and relieve tears ran down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. “How are you feeling? You are well I hope?”

I nodded asking the only two question questions I could asked, even though dozens of questions were piling up quite fast. “How did I get here? Where am I?”

“This is hotel Victor. We are a couple of miles from Karlovy Vary. You are well, yes?” I nodded again. “Yes, I am fine. How did I get here?” She smiled.

“Your fiancé carried you in. He is up in your room with the luggage. He’ll be down shortly.”

Right! That was my cue. Time to make myself scarce! The sudden way with which I got up surprised them both.

“He is not my fiancé!” I said as I ran for the door. Just as I passed the siding doors when I heard my name being called out. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up by the recognition of his voice. I didn’t look back but tried to run even faster. I didn’t know where I was running to, so straight ahead I went. It was dark outside, I noticed bewildered.

Streetlights were on and street were empty. I wondered what the time was. I crossed the street without looking and almost got run over by a car, which appeared out of nowhere. I jumped out of the way barely keeping myself from falling. It was even the only car on the road that I had managed to avoid by the sheer luck that was on my side for once. I kept running as if nothing had happened. The car had come to an abrupt halt, honked incisively and I was yelled at – yet again – by a driver.

I ran from the road across a play field. By the looks of it I was in a suburban area of the city. I kept running till I was out of breath before I dared to look back. Gasping for air I stood on a low man made hill watching over my surroundings. This hill was in a park of sorts. I was hiding behind some big trees which, I hoped, obscured me from sight. I could see a small petting zoo to my left and another big playground to my right. In front of me and behind me was more of the park. I’ve only been here once, in Karlovy Vary, but that was ages ago. I knew it was closer to the border with Germany than to the capital Prague. But without money I wondered how I would get home.

Not wanting to wait around between the trees and the park in the dark I started to walk down one of the paths in front of me. I hoped it would lead me out of the park. My heart still racing from the running I had done, else it would have started racing right now. Being out in a park late at night was never ever a smart move.

It was dark, and the path was lit by streetlights which where to far apart from each other according to my taste. With every sound my heart skipped a few beats and I caught my breath. I looked constantly around me, I was feeling less save be the minute and my speed picked up with every sound. Before long I found myself running again. The path I was on, crossed various other paths. Not knowing where to go, I kept running forwards, although I kept looking in all the directions. After a while I stopped running.

I was in the middle of nowhere! I couldn’t help but curse softly. Survival would never be anything I’d be good at, looking at how lost I currently was. How big was this park , anyway? I shook my head in desperation! I shouldn’t lose hope. I was in a city or town or something. If I was close to Karlovy Vary it should be no more than eighty miles or so to the German border.

“Emma!” The sound of his voice calling out my name in the dead of night made me freeze where I stood. How the hell had he found me? Relieve poured through me that I was no longer alone, horror poured through me as well. He really was the last person I would have liked to see.

“Stay away from me, Steve! I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to have anything to do with you!” “Emma, listen to me!” He sounded pleading. “Please turn around and look at me.”

I sighed and turned around to face my worst nightmare. Truly, it was a nightmare. My breath caught. He was sitting on his knees in the grass, being held at gunpoint by the driver of the damn car I had tried to escape out of and his partner, who was pointing his gun at me. Why the heck was I dragged into this? My hands shot into the air – I didn’t even have to think about it. A reaction like that is wired into the DNA I guess, or maybe you learn it’s the proper thing to do by watching too much television.