HIGHWAY

9.

Driving through the same roads of this highway leading towards a new life of mine, I watched the trees surround me from either side. Be it left or right. The only thing was nature. It was so unlikely the city. The stars were visible and they shined like little bulbs lightning my way towards a mysterious entrance where heaven knows what awaited. A new turn, a new mystery or maybe a little less dramatic thing like another road surrounded with trees.

I thought about my family and my friends every time but never did I missed them so much to want to go back to them. My roads were different, I was no more in a cage, I was were I wanted to be, free.

The birds flew towards their home, just above our car heading towards the same direction as mine, the only difference which made us similar. They were free and were going to their homes, I was finally free and was going to find my home.

An urge to open the window and feel the wind flow through my hair, touch my face, was suppressed. I was sure the person driving this almost ready to dead vehicle won't really accept my action.

When the night used to descend and I could feel the comfort of the daylight drifting away and the terror of the person sitting next to me slowly filling my intimate space. I believed I made a mistake but I never regretted it.

After last night, there were no words except the silence between us. The air in the car was filled with nothing but question.

'Now what?'

When I woke up the car it was already moving, I didn't even ask a question but sat up straight and looked outside the window. We didn't make a stop except a few near isolated damaged building, which could be perfectly used to shoot haunted movies. Where he got out of the car and came back after half an hour with bags filled with something just to stop at another almost similar buildings to deliver the bag, which he picked from the previous place, taking his complete time. He never said a word or warned me to stay in the car or 'don't do anything stupid' type of stuff. So, in that time I got out of the car and used it to put my legs to some use. I would walk around the car or take a stroll in the barren fields, waiting for him, which surrounded those strange and more old ravaged buildings. Never did I managed to gather up some courage to walk in and peak inside, forget about going ahead and knocking on the door (at least to some which had door). Something told me that trying to sneak in his privacy or business is not going to be good at all. Things could turn out bad. Until and unless, I was required to keep a check on him or sneak into his business if the occasion arise, only then I was take such a huge step of risking everything.

From the time, I woke up we have made four stops, two to gather bags and two to drop them. I had completely no idea what was there in them neither did I wanted to know until I need to. What if it comes out to be dead bodies of people, (which was obviously impossible for him to carry it all alone) or drugs, I had no idea what I'd do. So, I decided to delay my suspense to unwind the mystery of bags for some time.

This day had set a record of being the longest day in my life in which I didn't say a word for almost nineteen hours, to me the option of staying quiet further seemed the safest.

I kept staring out the window and watched the trees which looked like the soldiers going on a fight in morning and now like the tired dark souls going back to their homes.

"Remove your top"

I flipped my head in his direction as he suddenly spoke his first sentence from the morning, that too 'remove your top'. After morning, the only thing I was wearing was a tank top as the days were warm and the blowers kept us warm inside the car when the dusk fell.

"What?"

He didn't even turn his gaze in my direction. His eyes were set on the road. The only lights were the lights of the headlights of few cars around us which gave me a view of his chiseled face. His jaw was set giving the sharp jawline a full display. Like a manqué, his face perfectly and skilfully crafted a look which no Armani model could master. His knuckles were tight on the steering wheel and the silence response to my question only proved he wasn't in the mood of playing around.