A Different Time

Six

Alex
"Dan, it's time." I say sternly, placing a gun on my hip and a knife in its place on my thigh, slinging a knapsack over my shoulder.
He grumbles, rolling over.
"Time for what? Why be all mysterious 'n shit?" He hauls himself upright and rubs the sleep from his eyes, blinking rapidly afterwards.
"It's time to go. I've already packed everything up, it's all in the car. Nothing is left behind, so if they come, they'll never know we were here."
Dan grumbles.
"I guess that makes sense." He yawns, stretching his arms.
—
3rd Person
"So, Ryder," Dan starts, looking over to the passenger seat, where she sits.
She looks over at him, tilting her head slightly, gesturing for him to continue.
"I Uhm—... just— about last night, I..."
She holds her hand up, turning her head away.
"Don't. Don't pity me. I don't need it. Especially not from you." She whispers, feeling the sting behind her eyes, her nose beginning to sting as well.
"Ally, I don't—"
"Don't Ally me, Dan."

There's a few minutes where they say nothing, before Dans voice seeps into her ears, filling the silence.
"I don't pity you," Dan whispers, turning to face the road again. Alex looks over at him, tears threatening to spill.
He looks over at her.
"I'm just glad that you told me. Thank you for being so... So honest, So open—with me." He whispered. For Alex, that was it. That was all it took for a single tear to drop down her cheek. She smiled softly at him, and he smiled back.
—
36 hours. 36 hours of driving, and they weren't even halfway there.
The gaslight dings, and Dan groans loudly, before leaning slightly down so he can see past the visor to spot signs.
Food—30 Miles
Rest Stop—32 Miles
Gas—40 Miles
He groans again, leaning back in his seat.
Alex rolls her eyes.
"We won't make it another 40 Miles. Fucking hell." Alex whispers, leaning over and tapping the gas gauge behind the steering wheel.
"We won't even make it for another 20..." Dan says. "Might as well get as far as we can before this piece of shit dies."
Alex slaps his arm.
"This is not a piece of shit! My dad gave me this car, dammit!" She growls.
Dan chuckles.
"And you've had it since Uni! It's old, gas mileage is shit, the battery's half dead—"
They both hear a loud BANG sound, and the car begins to slow down. They both look at each other.
"Correction. The battery is completely dead. And we're out of gas."

The car idles and rolls slowly off the side of the road. Dan slams his hands down on the wheel and swears to himself. By this point, Alex has already gotten out of the car. Dan gets out as well, taking out his phone.
"Got service?" She asks.
He holds it up to the sky and squints at it.
"Fuck no. My luck."
—
Dan
It's been hours since the car broke down. We've been wandering aimlessly through the woods and along the side of the road. We've both got gear on our backs. As much as we can carry, anyways. Alex has a tarp wrapped around the top of her knapsack. I don't understand why she insisted on bringing it.
—
We haven't spoken to each other since the car. Finally, I decide to break the silence.
"Alex, do you have any idea where you're going?" I say, kicking a pine cone across the road.
She nods her head and looks over at me.
"Yes. I do. Now get out of the road. It's not safe." She says sternly.
I roll my eyes and hobble over to the grass.
"Yes, mom."
—
It's almost noon. The sun is searing hot, so we've taken refuge in the forest. Alex has been humming quietly to herself, glancing up at the sky every so often and saying a direction.
"We need to go North," she states, marching off. "If you ever get lost, or we get separated—go north. Me, or someone close to me, will always be to the North of you."
I walk quietly behind her, looking around to see as to how she's getting these answers.
Then I see them. The shadows. The way the sun passes through them and onto the ground. North must be the way the shadows are pointing. Clever girl.
—
After several more hours of wandering at the forest line, we hear cars passing. Alex pulls out her gun. I hold out my hand, signalling her to stop. Not everything is bad.
She lowers her gun, but shoves past me, pulling the brush aside and peering out. I see her shoulders slouch back. She doesn't see anything.
She turns back to face me, and she's suddenly jerked through the bushes and out of sight.
I immediately drop to the ground, crawling towards a termite-filled log to my right.
"Shit!" I whisper.
I hear footsteps beside me, and I roll into the log. I'm immediately covered in termites and maggots. I cover my mouth to keep from gagging.
I see a black-booted foot pass over the log and press down onto the ground, quietly crunching into the leaves.
I hold my breath as I see his knee drop to the ground, like he's going to look inside the log, where I lay. I hear a silenced gunshot and the man slumps to the ground.

I hear Alex screaming. Screaming louder and louder and then—it stops.

I hear footsteps behind me, and a foot bursts through the back of the log, making me slump onto my back.
I hear Alex scream my name before a foot comes crashing down onto my face.

Pain. Darkness.
Nothing.