The Experiment 2: The Journey

- Zero

"Are you okay?" JC asked as he glanced at Dei. She was slouched on the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on the snow covered road with her arms wrapped around herself. She looked cold.

He reached over and turned the heater up.

"Just focus on driving, JC. There's no need to make a conversation," Dei said, not looking at him.

He heaved a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Dei... I really am. For the lies, for messing with RJ, and for, like what you said, trying to ruin your life. You might not believe me when I say this but I never meant for things to go this bad."

"You're right," Dei muttered. "I don't believe you."

"Dei, just give me a chance to explain," he said, his voice pleading.

"I already did, JC, more than once. But you've proven yourself unworthy of the chance," she said bitterly. She still couldn't believe how easily she fell for his lies. "Lying about having a kid to earn my sympathy and lulling me into a false sense of security, all while trying to continue ruining my relationship with my husband... What kind of messed up mind do you have?"

"I'm sorry. I really have no excuse for my behavior, but not everything I told you were lies, Dei. And I only lied about having a kid because I couldn't think of anything else to say to catch your attention and make you open up yourself for a conversation."

"So it's my fault?"

"No... what I'm trying to say is that I really wanted to be close to you, as a friend, and not just because of the deal with Christine. You weren't exactly what I expected you to be and you honestly piqued my interest. I seriously wanted to get to know you more but you were making it so difficult for me. I wasn't used to that. And it kinda annoyed me that you were letting others in except me. Soon enough I started seeing you as a challenge that I needed to win."

Dei just shook her head. "Your words are not helping your case, JC. Just stop."

He heaved another sigh and focused on his driving. The wind was starting to grow stronger, blowing flurries of snow around and making it harder to see the road properly.

"It's starting to get worse," he muttered and he couldn't decide whether to speed up so they could get to their destination faster or to just keep a slower pace and keep themselves away from harm.

"Just slow down," Dei said, deciding for him. "I'm desperate to go home but I wanna get there alive."

They drove in silence for the next hour without encountering any mishaps, but as they neared the Brooklyn Bridge, they noticed the flashing lights on a barrier that seemed to have been placed in the middle of the road. With the fog that had started growing, they could no longer see past that and the hazard lights from the other vehicles in front of them.

JC turned the car radio on to a news station.

Meteorologist: The storm is approaching with winds whipping as high as 65 mph. Things could get nastier in the next couple of hours, and we are still talking 18 to 24 inches across the area, much of it is going to fall by late afternoon and around midnight.

Radio Reporter: As 8 million-plus New Yorkers braced for the worst of the wintery wallop, Mayor Pablo ordered everybody, except emergency personnel, off the streets starting at 3 p.m. Monday. A shutdown has been ordered for the city subways too by that time.

Mayor: By 3PM I need everyone to get off the roads, get off the streets, get off the sidewalks. This will most likely be one of the largest blizzards in the history of New York City."