The Road Lost to Anarchy

Chapter 3: The road

The road before me was covered in waste. Ahead, there were two crows pecking at some of it. All I could think was about how fast this had all happened, how I would keep my family safe. Was there strength in numbers? Was it better to stay alone?

All these questions filled my head until I felt like it was going to burst. Then the worst possible thing that could have happened at that moment happened. The gas light came on.

"Fuck!" I screamed as I pounded the steering wheel repeatedly.
"Dustin, what's wrong?"Kaylee asked.
"We may have to walk for a little while " I said hopelessly.
"Or, and this is just a suggestion, we could switch to one of the fifty blue million cars around us." Mary chimed in from the back seat.
"Good idea." Kaylee said.
We switched to a blue sedan that had enough room to fit everyone tightly, not comfortably.

"Everyone buckled up?"
"Yeah"

As we drove along the abandoned road the car grew eerily quiet. I didn't mind too much though, at least nobody was screaming and I could finally hear my thoughts.
I started thinking about my past as memories clouded my vision. I definitely wasn't the best person and I still don't think I am. My mother never really approved of me being a rapper, but she never really mentioned it after the first few years. She still doesn't listen to my music, and probably never will. The only thing she ever really approved of was my wife before she passed away.
There was a brief moment in time when my parents were divorced. My dad married my stepmother and didn't care what any of us thought. My stepmother was no saint either. She had never raised a kid and so she had nowhere near enough patience to handle me and my sisters. She ended up beating my sisters and I while my dad was at work, by the time I was 14 things had calmed down a bit. Only because I had started going to the gym did she stop, she was scared. She knew that if she tried to hurt any one of us I could snap. I never did, I was raised better than to hit a woman, but it didn't stop me from making her think I might.
Why these memories popped up out of the blue, I don't know. I guess the thought of my stepmother being turned into one of those creatures brought a bit of satisfaction and a slight smile.
Nothing can fix what she did to my family, but knowing she couldn't hurt us-
"Watch out!" Kaylee screamed from beside me.
I slammed on the breaks, sending us all almost out of out seats.
"What happened? You were swerving." She said, looking concerned.
"I- I guess I just got caught up in my thoughts" I said, not aware of what I'd done.

I slowly pressed on the accelerator as I menouvered around the car I had almost crashed into.

The ride was going smoothly, I stayed alert, the kids were quiet, Kaylee was asleep, and then I saw it.