Ryan Wiley

DISAPPEARANCE

To my wife, Stephanie, for whom I’ll forever grab things off the top shelf for.

Prologue

My name is Andrew, and this is the story of when everyone disappeared.

Chapter 1

I wake up and turn over to see what time it is. The red lights on my alarm clock are blank. Oh crap, the power must be out. I look over to my right and notice my wife, Abby, isn’t there. Very strange considering she always sleeps like a baby. She must have decided to check on the power. I’m glad she let me sleep in.

“Honey!” I call out. No answer. I get up to see what’s going on. When I look out the front window, I see the power is out everywhere. Even the streetlights are dark.

“Hon, are you there?” I say a little louder. There’s still no response. I’m starting to get frustrated, especially since I have a very big day today. I’m a web programmer for Vinitech. The company name sounds eerily similar to the one in the movie Office Space and on some days I feel like the frustrated main character. Whoever wrote that movie must have worked at a place like Vinitech because his portrayal is spot on. Vinitech isn’t quite the “big corporation” type of place (there are only 60 of us) but we’re already at the point where we have a lot of the same corporate nonsense that goes on.

For example, if a bug is discovered in code I write, I hear about it from my boss, my boss’s boss, and some guy of whom I’m not even sure what the hell his job is other than to tell people they’ve messed up on something.

I’ve worked at this company for eight years now, and I’ve seen many lazy socializers get promoted while the quiet and hard-working people get told to work even harder. I clearly fall in the latter category.

In my free time, though, I’ve decided to work on an idea that came to me. It’s a bit confusing to explain, but it’s basically a way to cut down on the steps needed to make payments online. As easy as it is to pull out your credit card and with one swipe pay for something in the offline world, this would essentially do the same thing online. The great thing is it would work with all websites. I know I personally can’t stand having to fill in my name, address, phone, etc., every time I make an online purchase. This would eliminate all of those non-sense steps.

I’d already finished the development when I finally struck up the courage to tell my boss about it. He didn’t seem very interested. “Huh, very interesting. Hey, where are we on the Stebbins project?”

Later, I told another boss about it. He thought the idea was brilliant. I was there when he discussed it with boss #1 and, as if by magic, he had a change of heart. I wanted to call him out on it — tell boss #2 I’d already brought it to his attention and he didn’t seem to care — but I have enough business sense to know that sometimes you have to swallow your pride and make your boss look like the genius he so clearly is not.

My meeting to present the first demo is scheduled for 9:30 this morning and I couldn’t be more nervous. I go out to the living room to pick up my cell phone and call Abby; the battery is low and I have no signal. I don’t think I can recall ever being at my house and not having bars. Oh well, I’m sure Abby is around here somewhere. I set my phone alarm for 7:00. I usually have no problem waking up before that time, but with this little interruption I guess it’s better to be on the safe side.

My alarm goes off and it startles me. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve set my alarm and had it wake me. I’m fully convinced the mind is an amazing instrument, capable of doing things we can’t even imagine. It’s amazing; I always wake up 5 minutes before my alarm is supposed to go off. Not today though. It must be my lucky day.

I look over to my right; Abby still isn’t there. I check the garage to see if she left for work, but her car’s still there. That means she must be around here someplace. Abby and I don’t live in a McMansion. It’s a nice little 4-bedroom house in a really great neighborhood. The truth is, we are really lucky to be living here. Abby had grandparents who passed away right as we were entering the real world. As it turns out, they were very well off — much to the surprise of her parents. After living through a few wars, her grandparents had become pretty crazy about stashing away money. Her grandfather also happened to be a financial adviser, and he knew how and where to invest their money. Their attorney did the calculations and figured out they must have put away over fifty percent of their income during their lifetime. Fifty percent! It was a pretty good day when we learned our share of the inheritance came in the form of an eighty-thousand-dollar check.

Of course, being young and dumb kids out of college, we used fifty thousand dollars of it as a down payment for this house. We seemed to have forgotten that we’d still have to make monthly payments even after we put down a big down payment, but we get by. We plan on having little tykes soon, so we bought the big house a little early.

I walk around and check every room, but there’s still no sign of Abby. Screw it, I don’t have time to look for her, not today. Normally I would shower and shave at this point, but because I knew I would be in a rush I did it last night. After my morning breakfast I don’t bother brushing my teeth. I grab a couple sticks of minty fresh gum and head out the door. I’ll have to call Abby later to find out where she’s been.

As I go to push the garage door opener, I have to laugh at myself — there’s no electricity. Some habits are tough to break. Growing up, I was the only kid I knew that had to manually open a garage door. It’s not that my family was poor; I had a roof over my head and food on the table, which was about all a kid could ask for. I didn’t have the added luxuries, though, that many of the other kids had at school. I’ve always been the type of person who is grateful for everything I have, so it didn’t bother me to have hand-me down clothes and shoes that were a little snug. I was happy.

Since I grew up lifting garages the old-fashioned way, I already know what to do and I don’t even have to Google it. After a simple pull of the emergency rope, I lift the door with my scrawny arms and head out.

I’m one of those oblivious drivers that can be driving for twenty minutes and not recall a single moment from the ride. Today was not one of those days though.

Perhaps because of the electricity and my wife’s mysterious disappearance, a part of my consciousness was awake enough today to pay more attention to my surroundings. My daily commute takes exactly 17 minutes and 33 seconds. I know this because my commute involves no highways or stop lights. Sure, it has a few stop signs along the way, but that doesn’t affect the timing very much. As the programmer type, I’m a nerd with numbers, or you can just call it OCD denial if you want. I’ve calculated every possible back road and other way to get to work trying to save every last second that I can. After trial and error over the years, I’ve settled on my 1,053-second route (the averaged time from about 20 rides to the office).

As I’m driving, it’s odd I haven’t passed any cars yet. My drive usually doesn’t involve passing too many, but there’s always at least one or two. Today though there’s nothing. Maybe the electricity being out has caused everyone to sleep in.

Approaching 17 minutes and coming close to my office, I can already see from a distance there are no cars in the parking lot. Now, I’m usually the morning type who likes to get in early, so there aren’t very many cars when I get here anyway. But, I’m almost never the first one to show up. There are always at least a few people who get here before me to catch up on work that’s fallen behind.

Something is weird here. Although, again, that may be explained by the power outage. Why the hell didn’t I think of that? We are an online development company where we do the majority of our work ONLINE. Of course there would be little point in going into the office without electricity. Of the 60 employees, I’m the only moron who didn’t think to check in first. I would think that if we were supposed to take the day off until further notice my lazy-ass boss would give me a ring to let me know. I reach into my pocket and grab my cell phone only to be reminded that there’s still no service. How people survived without cell phones and the Internet, I’ll never know.

I decide to stand by my car, play around on my phone, and try to act like I’m not a total loser for being alone in this parking lot. It’s amazing how much humans care about not looking stupid around other people.

It’s 9:15 and there’s still nobody in sight. I try to recall if we weren’t supposed to come in today or if we were supposed to meet elsewhere. In my eight years of working here, though, neither of those things has ever happened. I might as well drive back home. My meeting with the bosses will have to wait another day.

The drive back is equally as lonely as the drive to work. I’m not sure how many cars I’ve seen this morning (maybe one, but it was far in the distance). As my car enters the driveway, I reach up and press the garage door opener. Reality strikes me again — there’s still no electricity.

I manually open the garage door again and pull in with my chick-magnet Chevy Cavalier. Abby hates my car, especially considering we easily have enough money in the bank to buy a new one. But I don’t care; I’ll drive this car until it topples over and dies.

It’s not until I open the door that I remember I still haven’t seen Abby today. I would laugh at myself for forgetting something like this, but I’m used to having a poor memory.

“Honey, are you there?” Still nothing. We don’t have any pets other than some unwelcome ants every now and then, so it looks like it’s just me in an empty house. Until now I’ve been fine, but I’m starting to get a little worried.

At this point, I’m probably only a six (on a scale of ten) for how concerned I am. That’s the eternal optimist in me. There has to be a plausible explanation for all of this, right?

I’m really unsure of what to do from here though. Being good at math, I’m typically a very good problem solver. Give me an Internet connection and an appropriate amount of time, and I can Google my way out of almost any problem. Unfortunately though, with the electricity out, I feel as if Kryptonite has taken away all of my Superman powers.

I suppose the most logical thing to do now would be to go and talk with the neighbors but I’m shy. Abby and I barely know anybody around the neighborhood. I find it fascinating how people who are my parents’ age are so outgoing and are always hanging out with friends and neighbors. In my generation (and by that I mean people in our later 20s), we all seem to prefer text message conversations for an hour if it means avoiding five minutes of talking face-to-face.

Knowing that I drove to the office and did everything I could for work gives me one less thing to worry about. I can tell my boss with 100% honesty that I had no idea where we were supposed to be today, if that is in fact the case. I sit down on my chair and stare at the wall for a few minutes until I get bored. It’s time to take action.

I open the front door and start my way over to the one neighbor, Dave, whom I’ve at least spoken to and hung out with a few times. Dave is a pretty cool guy overall. He and his family are a little older than Abby and I and they have two kids. So in that regard we don’t have much in common. Nevertheless, like all Americans, we like watching football. He’s been over a few times to watch some games. We both like the same team, the Cleveland Browns, although I wouldn’t quite say we like them as much as we like talking about how miserable it is to be a Browns fan. This seems to be the way all Browns fans are though, and that might be because their team hasn’t won, or even come close to, a championship in several decades. It’s easy to reminisce about the many bad games that have gotten us to this point. Other than football, we talk about how things are going, vacations we took, and all of that other polite neighborly stuff.

I ring the doorbell and, just as my continued luck would have it, I hear nothing. I ring the doorbell several more times but still hear nothing and nobody comes to the doorE. What a fabulously weird day this is turning out to be. There is a good chance they’re at work. I’m sure they have jobs and have taken their kids to school by now. Of course they aren’t home.

I still have no explanation for Abby though. Where the hell is she? With some wives this kind of occurrence might not be that big of a deal, but Abby is different. She’s a very structured, punctual woman who always follows the same morning routine — kind of like me. If she really went somewhere without taking her car, I would think she would leave some kind of note or kiss me goodbye. The only thing I can think of is if she carpooled today with a coworker. She has done that a few times before. I think she would remind me about that though, but nothing is coming to mind. I will admit I’ve become a little too good at tuning her out at times, saying “Uh huh,” “Yes,” and “OK” without having any clue what she’s talking about.

I reach down for my cell phone and there’s still no service. I could go knock on other neighbors’ doors, but I get a sneaking suspicion they aren’t going to be home either. I decide to walk back to the house. When I do, I grab my keys and head to the garage. My hand gets all the way up to actually touching the garage door opener before I remember the power being out. I walk over and manually open the garage door. It’s time to figure out what’s going on.

Chapter 2

When I leave the house I have no idea where to go. To be honest, I’m terrible with directions and I couldn’t live without my GPS. I’m old enough to remember the days without them and having to print off MapQuest directions — those days seem so primitive now. I can’t even imagine what it was like to depend solely on regular foldout maps.

I decide not to drive to Abby’s workplace yet, which is a long forty-five-minute commute. At this point, seeing anyone going about his or her day would be a pleasant surprise. I’m generally a very introverted person. I enjoy being around people, but at some point every few hours I like to wander off and be by myself. Being alone with my thoughts does something for me, which I need a few times a day. With that said, I can’t remember the last time it was 11:00 a.m. and I hadn’t seen a single human being. I’m not sure that’s ever happened.

I usually eat lunch around this time. At work, I’m the only one who eats at 11:00 a.m., and I find that it has many strategic advantages. Mainly, from noon to one o-clock I have the entire office to myself. I get more work done during that one hour than most people get done during the entire day. It also gives me a chance to enjoy the peace and quiet, something that’s very rare with bosses number one, two, and three going from cubicle to cubicle striking up conversations.

Meetings are something else I’ve learned to despise about my job. We have meetings all of the time! I swear to you, we have had meetings in which the topic was to discuss how many meetings we should have! If you can’t tell already, there are a lot of things I wish I could change about my job.

I’m starting to get hungry, so I decide to make grabbing something to eat my top priority. It’s a long shot, but there’s a McDonald’s about a five-minute drive from my house. I wouldn’t be surprised if every McDonald’s has some backup generator they use to power each restaurant in the event of a temporary power outage. Also, the grocery store I usually go to is somewhat on the way, so maybe I can pick up something there too. My refrigerator is looking pretty empty.

While I’m driving, I still don’t see any cars. What is with people these days? The power goes out and everyone decides to lock themselves away in their house? When I get to McDonald’s, I can see it’s a ghost town. There is exactly one car in the parking lot, which I’m guessing has been there for a while because it’s parked in the farthest spot away. I’ve never been good at identifying car brands so let’s just call this one junk. My guess is someone just gave up on it one day and left it here for good.

Seeing that there’s no point in staying here, I pull through the parking lot and make my way to the grocery store. There still aren’t any cars, but when I think about that it doesn’t surprise me. With the power outage, these mostly mom-and-pop shops must be waiting on the electricity to kick back on.

The road the grocery store is on seems to be more of the same and I pull in to the big empty parking lot. Since I made the trip, I decide I’m going to get out of the car for once and inspect further. It’s funny, even though there isn’t a person in sight, I still park in the closest non-handicap spot. I can just imagine walking about twenty yards away from my car and miraculously a police car pulls up and gives me a ticket. That’s just how lucky I am.

I walk up to the automatic sliding doors but they don’t open. I beat on the door but that doesn’t work either. When I peek inside, I see the electricity is out. There’s enough daylight that I can see inside and tell everything is normal — well, besides there being nobody inside. I decide this is a lost cause, and my stomach growling has put me in an even fowler mood.

I trace my thoughts back to what food I do have left at the house. I’m stocked full of stuff in the pantry with an almost lifetime supply of canned beans. But, I realize, those would be pretty disgusting without a microwave. I do have a few things left in the refrigerator, mainly a bit of sliced ham I could use to make a sandwich. That seems like my best course of action for now until I figure out what’s going on and why nobody seems to be out today.

As I make my way home, I observe plenty of cars and trucks still parked in people’s driveways. Is this out of the ordinary? Maybe there are always a lot of cars parked even when the power is out.

I pull into my driveway and reach up and press the garage door opener, forgetting about the power again. I get out of my car and go through my newfound, annoying routine of opening it the old fashioned way. As I open the door, my optimistic personality starts to kick in as a little part of me is expecting Abby to be here.

“Honey, you there? Hello! Hello!” There’s still no answer. My patience is starting to boil, and it’s getting very frustrating. Why didn’t she leave a note telling me where she was going? If she did carpool with a coworker, why didn’t she kiss me goodbye?

As I go to the fridge, I realize I need to open and close the door as quickly as possible to leave the cold air in because who knows how long the power will be out. It’s the middle of fall in Ohio, so the temperature is usually around the 50s or 60s. It’s already starting to cool down in the house, and I’m not a big fan of cold weather. If the power was on and I was home the thermostat would be set on a nice, warm seventy-five degrees.

As I take the ham out, I see there are about two “my size” servings left. I don’t really care about conservation though at this point because I’m starving. I’m going to demolish this jumbo-size sandwich with no regrets. While I’m eating, I go into game-plan mode.

What kind of place would be open, even when there’s no power? I’m guessing the police station might be a good place to begin. I would hope people’s safety is a 24/7 job even with no power. Maybe they know exactly where the power is out. If it’s just in this area, I could head outside of town and reach a pay phone to check up on Abby.

Now that I think about it, that would be logical. If a coworker picked Abby up and carpooled to work and they have electricity at their office, it would make perfect sense that she hasn’t been concerned or tried to call. Not that she could reach me anyway. I’m now convinced that is what happened. After all, she does have two close friends, Anna and Kristie, who make the same daily commute. Anna and Abby work at the same company, a nursing home where they both assist the elderly. I can’t even remember what Kristie does. I know Abby has told me about where she works before but I remember it being kind of confusing. Whatever it is, I do remember that it’s very close to where Abby and Anna work.

I’ve always thought that it’s crazy that all three of them ride separately to work. If I had their commute, being a passenger two-thirds of the time would be much more to my liking. I would have forty-five minutes both ways to read or get some productive work done. I’ve asked Abby about this, and she says Anna and Kristie have different work schedules. Anna often has to stay later because she has more people to take care of. Kristie, I believe, has to do some traveling during the day, so sometimes she isn’t nearby when it’s time to come home.

This is what Abby has told me, but I think the honest answer is she likes her long commute. Abby is a very emotional and attached person. It’s hard for me to understand why she chose nursing for the elderly as a profession. “I just love old people,” she says. I will admit that I have been at her work before and seen her in action and she is terrific at what she does. Many of the patients barely have an idea of what’s going on but she somehow manages to make them smile. It’s a job I can’t imagine myself doing, as I’m nowhere near the people person she is. Give me a computer, Wi-Fi, and an empty room and I’m happy.

I’ve always thought about how great it would be if you had solitary confinement in prison. The only outside communication would be someone pushing food and water in through a little hole in the door. Of course I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a room forever. I would need to have some sunlight or I would go crazy. But if I could live in solitary confinement and somehow sweet-talk the guard into giving me a laptop and Wi-Fi, that would be paradise!

Abby couldn’t last through that scenario for an hour. She would get so bored and become so desperate for human contact, I picture her running full-speed into the door trying to get out.

I think Abby uses her solitary commute home as a way to think about the elderly patients she works for. It’s always very hard on her when one of her patients dies. I can always tell when she gets home if this has happened. She does everything she can to hide her sadness but I always know. When she has a good day though, it’s equally as obvious. She seems to glow the entire night as I listen to her tell crazy stories about what her patients did that day. I’m sure this violates some kind of privacy regulation, but I’ll bet ninety-nine percent of doctors and nurses are doing the same thing when they get home.

I make my way toward the bathroom. Before I begin to do my business though, I think about whether this is a good idea or not. Will the toilet flush without electricity? I feel like such an idiot for not knowing this — if only I could do one quick Google search and know the answer for sure. Unfortunately, at this point in the bathroom process I’m going to have to learn first-hand what the answer is. As I finish up my darker-than normal-bathroom experience, I move my hand over the flusher. I pause and take a deep breath, “Here goes nothing” and press down. Much to my delight, I watch the water swirl around and make its way down into the depths below.

Now that I have everything in order and a full stomach, it’s time to make a decision on my next course of action. Before I leave and waste gas, especially considering I’m not sure if gas stations are working now, I think I’m going to ring on a few more neighbors’ doors and see if they happen to know anything. If there’s a reason besides the power being out that everyone seems to be staying home now, I’d very much like to know about it.

I have never even seen most of my neighbors. For all I know they could be alien zombies who feed on nearby children. Before I go ringing doorbells, I need to decide what I’m going to say. I don’t think it’s a good idea to start off, “Hey, I’m your neighbor you’ve never met. I was just checking in because I’m bat-shit paranoid right now and I think my wife has disappeared!” Yeah, that approach probably wouldn’t go over well. Even though I’ve never met these people, I don’t want to make a bad first impression.

I tell myself to be as honest as possible, without giving away too many details. I’ll say that I’m their neighbor because there’s no reason to lie about that. Then, I’ll ask them if their power is out? Yeah, that would be a good opening line. It gives us something to complain about and make small talk. I’ll then tell them that I’ve been driving around town this morning and nobody seems to be out. Maybe they’ll know something about that. OK, that sounds like a good conversation plan.

Now that I have everything figured out, I know I better take action now. I’ve learned over the years that the more I think about something, the more I begin to procrastinate on it. I have no reason to wait any longer, so it’s go time.

I put on my jacket and make my way to the neighbor across from Dave’s house. This should be interesting.

Chapter 3

I ring the doorbell on the first mystery neighbor’s house. As I do, I think about whether I’ve ever seen this neighbor before. From what I can recall, I never have. A few of the neighbors I’ve seen grabbing their mail, or opening their garage door to leave their house, but with this house neither has happened. This makes me wonder why I picked this house to begin with.

I listen closely to try to hear footsteps. I’m honestly anticipating this to be the case but I hear nothing. I ring the doorbell again. I imagine what I would do if someone rang my doorbell at this time of day. One ring I definitely wouldn’t answer, two rings might get me off my chair. Again I’m shy, and I also assume nine times out of ten the person at the door is someone trying to sell me something. And ten out of ten times, it’s something I’m not going to buy.

If someone rings my doorbell three or four times, I’m off my chair ready to admire this person’s tenacity. Which is why I begin venting my frustrating on this neighbors doorbell when they don’t answer after a dozen rings. Unless this neighbor is deaf, they really must not be home.

OK, door number one is a bust so let’s try door number two. Again, this is a neighbor I’ve never seen or met before. I forget what I plan on saying if they do answer. Something about the power outage and being their neighbor and that I’m crazy. Got it. As I ring this doorbell, I’m now starting to notice I can’t actually hear the doorbell making a sound. It’s been a long time since I’ve rung a doorbell, but I’m almost positive you can hear the “ding dong” from the outside of the house.

Then it occurs to me again that the power is out! Do doorbells even use electricity to function? I imagine so. I resort to excessive pounding on the door. As hard as I’m hitting the door, I’m guessing it’s just as loud as the doorbell. If they are home, they should be able to hear this even upstairs.

I remind myself again that people do work at this time of day, but then remember nobody is out on the roads either!

I make my way to doors three, four, and five and get the same result. I go across the street, and knock on doors six through ten. Still nothing. This has to just be a coincidence. I persevere and knock on doors eleven through twenty-five. This covers my entire street so I make way to the next street over. Defeat is starting to creep in, not to mention a throbbing in my hands. I had to switch to using my left hand after door ten. I fight through the pain because, without any cars out, somebody has to be home. Somebody has to be sitting around in their pajamas waiting to answer their door. It’s now that my worry scale goes from a five to six range to an eight or nine and quickly making its way to a 10. This isn’t making any sense.

I hate to say it, because it sounds too ridiculous to think, but did everyone somehow disappear? I quickly dismiss the thought because there’s no way this could be true. There has to be a logical explanation for this, although it’s becoming graver and graver what that may be.

I make my way to the next street over to decide which house I’m going to try first. I decide on the nice two-story brick house with a tree in the front, perfectly mown and fertilized lawn, and a kid’s rubber ball still on the front porch. They also have a nice black SUV in the driveway. As I get ready to knock, I take a deep breath and think this is going to be it. The craziness ends now when this person opens the door and explains what is going on. I knock on the door, again with complete confidence that someone is going to answer. Even knocking two, three, and four times I know they’re going to answer. It’s not until knocking five and six times that I start having doubts. And then knocking seven and eight times is when I know nobody is going to answer that door. I shrug it off and make my way to the house next door. Somebody has to be home. It’s a numbers game, and that’s all. I knock on the door, waiting and hoping, but nobody answers.

Now I start adding a thorough check through each window to my inspection process. Most windows I find have the blinds closed and do me little good. Some windows though have blinds that are only half closed or even completely open. For each window that I can see through it’s more of the same.

The inside of the houses are, for the most part, clean and tidy with the occasional newspaper or shirt left out, but nobody is home. It’s as if they were there last night, but gone today. I don’t know if this realization makes me feel good or depresses me further. I suppose if every house was either in 100% spot-on condition, or if every house was completely empty of belongings, that would be a lot scarier — scary movie type stuff. No, there must be a plausible explanation for this. I just haven’t figured out what that is.

After I’ve knocked on around forty houses, I decide it’s no longer a coincidence. I’m now convinced that nobody is home anywhere in this neighborhood. I don’t know where they are or why they left, but I know they are no longer here. I try to calm myself down after coming to this conclusion. I keep telling myself there is a logical explanation for this and I can’t wait to laugh later when I find out what it is.

If there were ever a person who would remain oblivious to what’s going on, it would have to be me. After all, I haven’t watched a news program in my entire adult life. I never look at or read any online news sites. Occasionally, I’ll walk past a newsstand where I glimpse at the main headline. That’s about it for me as far as keeping up with the news. I overhear coworkers discussing current events so, in a way, you could say that’s how I keep up with the news. I just never found much interest in it — too depressing for me.

With that, I make my way back to my house. I’ve spent the last couple of hours knocking on doors in the middle of the day on a weekday. I laugh a little at how silly that sounds. I normally like to follow a very detailed and structured routine, so this day has been quite the experience for me.

Before I enter my house, I check the gas gauge in my car to help with my decision process of what I’m going to do next. It looks like I still have about a half tank but I think the first thing I should do is stop by a gas station anyway. I have a very good feeling that, without power, gas stations aren’t going to work. How could they? You do, after all, need electricity to display those dollars climbing higher and higher. Maybe by some miracle though the displays are battery operated and the gas gets filled into your car by a non-electric pump. Just thinking this makes me realize how far fetched it sounds. The gas station probably isn’t going to work, but I still want to check it out first hand just to be sure.

The intrigue has me overwhelmed now, and I decide I must find out the answer. There’s a gas station about two minutes and twelve seconds from my house, so it’s a quick round trip I can make. If I weren’t convinced that there’s a good explanation why nobody is around, I wouldn’t make the trip. I would save every last ounce of gas I have.

I pull out of the garage, not even bothering to pull the garage door down. On a normal day and a normal situation, I’m very cautious about leaving the garage door up. My car has a long history of being broken into. I join the long list of people who have had their CD players stolen. Another time, I had my car broken into for nothing more than the change that was visible in the cup holder. This thief’s $2.27 robbery cost me a $500 out-of-pocket deductible to fix the car lock they ripped open. It would have offended me less if they had stolen something valuable.

There isn’t much to steal in my garage anyway. It’s big enough to fit my and Abby’s car and that’s about it. I do have a ladder, an edge trimmer, and a snow blower but I wouldn’t lose a minute of sleep if those were stolen. I suppose it’s the principle behind getting robbed that makes me want to prevent it by any means necessary. I rarely get upset but thieves seem to anger me more than anything. Abby feels the same way. If we had it our way, anyone who was convicted of stealing on more than one occasion would be sentenced to getting his or her hands chopped off. On the first offense we’d settle for a finger or two.

Pulling out of the driveway with the garage door still up speaks volumes to my confidence that nobody is around. As I make my way to the gas station, I’m already starting to regret my decision, even though it’s only a five-minute trip. I push down hard on the accelerator and listen to the roar of my Chevy Cavalier’s little four-cylinder engine. With nobody around, this is the first time I’ve felt the urge to be disdainful toward the law. I speed through the first stop sign and feel a rush of excitement. I can do anything I want now and nobody will know or care. I make my way to the gas station in record time — twenty seconds faster than normal. I pull into the first available spot and look out my window with high anticipation. My fate and my next course of action depend heavily on what I’m about to witness. What I see is my worst fear; the display is empty. There’s no power.

Still, I get out of my car, twist off my fuel cap and grab the gas hose. A couple drips of gas fall off the nozzle as I put it into my tank. I push up on the lever but I can tell nothing is coming out. I immediately look around as if to find some solution to this problem. Is there somewhere I can go where I can manually pump the gas? Nothing I see gives me that impression; I’m completely out of luck. Wherever I’m going to go, it better be close and I better have a good reason for going because now I only have about 130 miles of total driving left with this car. I know this, not because my car has any of those fancy mileage-prediction features but because I’ve driven my car for 150,000 miles now and I know almost down to the exact mile how far it will go with this amount of gas left. You start to pay attention to these things after you run out of gas four times in a span of two years. It’s a dumb accomplishment that should also be worthy of getting your hands (or your head) chopped off.

What should I do now? In the worst case scenario, I can try to break into people’s garages and see if they have a gas tank I can “borrow.” I’m nowhere near that point of desperation yet though.

Seeing that there’s no hope at the gas station and I have no further ideas left to explore here, I get back in my car. I take one last look at the gas station’s mini-mart thinking about what I could do if I somehow broke into the store. Would I be able to turn on the pumps then? I realize there’s nothing I could do. There’s no electricity and no key to some magical gas door.

I think about other places I could get gas. Growing up I worked at a golf course. Those carts used gas. I know because part of my job was to fill them up every couple of weeks. It’s a great idea but the course where I worked is two hours away.

I decide to file that away into the “try later” category if things get desperate. I’ll go to the nearest golf course and attempt to steal gas from the pumps. There are four golf courses within ten miles of my house, two of which I know use gas carts.

I pull out of the gas station and decide there’s nothing further I want to explore for now. I’ve learned now that gas is at a premium so I don’t want to waste any more. On my quick commute home, a realization occurs to me… silence. I normally like to listen to the radio on the way to work because driving in silence makes me go crazy.

I reach down and turn the radio on, flipping through stations but nothing comes up. No white noise, no music cutting in and out, just silence. This seems more odd than usual to me. I switch from FM to AM stations and get similar results. I don’t know exactly how far radio stations can travel, but I know when I make my way to my parents’ house, I get my favorite station for about an hour and fifteen minutes of the ride, so I know radio stations can carry at least that far. If I’m getting silence from every station, does that mean that everywhere within a ninety-mile radius of me has no power? If it does, that seems like pretty depressing news. I suppose it’s possible though that people have power and it’s just the radio stations that are down. I consider my theory inconclusive upon further research.

When I pull into the garage and go to the door, my thoughts are being pulled in all sorts of directions. I know this because I reach up and again push the garage door opener to close the door. As I go over and pull it down manually, I take a moment to appreciate something as simple as a garage door opener. It’s a little thing like this that I take for granted every day. This tiny little piece of plastic with a little electronic gizmo inside saves me and millions of other people a lot of time and energy each day. I’ve never appreciated it until now.

This gets me thinking about Abby. I’m not sure where she is, but when I see her I plan on giving her a huge hug and kiss and telling her how much I love her. I certainly take for granted how much she means to me. I’m always so caught up in work and other things that I don’t think often enough about how lucky I am to have her. The saying that your wife is your “better half” certainly applies to me ten-fold.

When I enter the house, I shout out a weak “Hon, you there?” but not one ounce of me expects a reply. I reach over to look at the digital clock by our TV and realize it’s electrically powered. Our house doesn’t have any wall clocks in it, which never struck me as odd until now. Either wall clocks are an “old people thing” or we are just not with the times.

Seeing that all the clocks we do have are electric-powered digital clocks, the only way I’ll be able to find out the time is by grabbing my watch. My parents bought me a nice expensive watch as a graduation gift. My father told me that since I would soon be in the business world, checking the time would be very important and that a watch would be essential. The reality, though, is I haven’t brought that watch into work for one day. It’s not that I don’t like the watch — it’s very nice. It’s just one more thing I would have to remember to do in the morning so I don’t bother. At work my computer has a little clock in the bottom-right corner. Ironically though, all our office rooms don’t have wall clocks. I think they have it that way so they won’t realize how much time they waste in there. This seems to work because our meetings usually conclude with one of the bosses looking down at their watch and saying, “Oh, look at the time! I don’t think I have anything further.”

I search all through the house but I’ve never put it in a particular spot, which I guess is why I often forget to wear it. Our house isn’t the most organized to begin with. Abby is neat and tidy while I’m a borderline slob. Like most kids, I grew up with a very messy bedroom. The only time it was ever cleaned was when my mom forced me to. Now that I’m out of her house, I never seem to do it.

After searching for another twenty minutes, I decide it’s a lost cause and give up. After all of that effort, I realize all I have to do to know the time is check the clock in my car. My mind has been wandering so much today I never even paid attention to the clock when I was messing with the radio stations. I make my way into the garage, turn the ignition on halfway, and pause for a second until the time begins to display on the radio dashboard. It’s 2:30 p.m.

With this realization, I think it’s best I make my way to Abby’s office. Deep down I have a feeling that this is the right thing to do. Abby works in Chesterfield, Ohio, which is a fairly large city by my standards. I remember looking it up once and seeing it was something like the twelfth biggest city in Ohio. There are bound to be some people there. Even if an immediate evacuation of the city was declared, with over sixty thousand people some of them are likely to stay put. I know when I make my way over there I may or may not see Abby, but I’ll definitely see somebody. That I’m sure of.

Abby normally gets off work at 5:00, and gets home at 5:45. Because she didn’t drive to work today, her schedule may be a little off so I better get there soon. She would be very worried if she got home and I wasn’t there.

Before I make my way out, I want to see how much gas is left in Abby’s car. Even if her tank is almost empty, I’m still going to Chesterfield. Having gas in her car though gives me more options assuming the power is out for the next couple of days. I open her door and, using the key I have, I turn the ignition halfway. The dial shoots its way up and I see she has three-quarters of a tank. Woo-hoo, I’ll take it!

I plan on making a down-and-back trip, so I’ll still take my car over. It has about 130 miles left before it runs out of gas and the round trip to Chesterfield is about ninety miles. That gives me some wiggle room in case I want to drive around.

I manually open up the garage door and start the drive toward Chesterfield. It’s time to get some answers about what’s going on.

Chapter 4

During the trip, I make a point of paying more attention to what’s going on around me. This is not the time to bury myself in thoughts and forget the drive. I think back to the movie Shaun of the Dead, one of my favorite zombie/comedy movies. There’s a scene in the beginning in which he goes about his morning routine and is so oblivious to his surroundings that he doesn’t even notice everyone around him is a zombie. As silly as it looks in the movie, I could see myself doing the same thing.

To get to the highway, I must take a similar path to the one I took to the grocery store earlier. As I look around, it looks like much of the same. Everything appears normal except for any trace of human existence. You can still see the occasional car parked at the end of a parking lot. The buildings obviously still appear exactly like they did the day before, but the traffic lights aren’t working and no cars are out on the road.

It reminds me of driving on an early Saturday morning. I like to get up early, even on the weekends. Occasionally, I make an early grocery-shopping trip when there isn’t any food in the house for breakfast. Whenever I leave, I’m always amazed at how few cars are out on the roads. I mean, I’ve driven on highways before at four o’clock in the morning, and there are always several cars out. Early morning in town, though, I rarely see anyone out. In its weird little way, early grocery shopping is a fun and pleasant experience.

The highway is only a block or so away from the grocery store. I feel the anticipation of what’s to come starting to build up inside me. Sure, little Nowhere, Ohio may be a ghost town, but it’s a large world out there and I’m ready to see that things are normal just over the horizon.

I pull onto the on ramp and head west towards Chesterfield in pursuit of my Abby. It just occurs to me, if I make my way over there and see her, she’s going to be shocked to see me. She knows this is a big day for me, and she’ll probably expect a report of great news. I’m going to have to think about what I’m going to say first. Saying I was a scared little puppy and that everyone is gone and I had to run away from home is an embarrassing story to tell, even if it is Abby I’m telling it to.

I’ll bet when I do tell her what I’ve done today, she’ll give me that “You’re an idiot” look and remind me of the reason why things are the way they are. That, or she’ll roll her eyes and think I’m crazy.

The highway is completely deserted for as far as I can see. In my younger days I would have loved this and driven as fast as my little Chevy Cavalier would take me. My reckless days are gone now though and I drive like an old person. I feel as if I’m living on the edge when I drive any more than five miles per hour over the speed limit.

Today is different. There’s nobody around, and I’m starting to feel more and more adventurous. It’s the first time I’ve ever pulled onto I-70 West and not had a string of cars willing to run me over for entering their highway. I can see about two miles in front of me and my foot starts to push harder on the pedal. I don’t quite reach the 90 or 100 of my youth; when I hit eighty-five miles per hour it’s enough to give me a heart attack. I feel a small rush of adrenaline pour over me as I speed down the highway at a speed I haven’t driven in ten years.

It makes me feel old knowing I’ve been driving for ten years. Many of my high-school friends are driving around in Minivans carrying a couple kids. The years go by so fast.

As I zip around the corner, I slow down to be near the speed limit. The last thing I need is to flip the car over. It’s amazing how slow the speed limit feels when you’ve being going so much faster. It seems as if you could get out of your car and walk faster. When I see no one is coming and I have a long, straight stretch of highway in front of me, I kick the car back to over eighty miles per hour.

Up ahead I remember there’s a small town where I used to golf. It has electric carts so there’s no chance of filling up my tank. The town is the kind of place where everyone can walk to anywhere they need. Every time I’ve been there, there are always lots of people outside. It’s just off the highway, so a quick drive by the main road seems like a good idea.

I pull off the exit ramp and make a left off the ramp. I laugh a little because I notice I still put on my turn signal. Of all of the things drivers do and don’t do, not putting on a turn signal annoys me the most. It’s pure laziness. How hard is it to flick your wrist up or down when you’re turning?

I approach the main street area where there are a few local stores and restaurants on the left. On the right is a great little ice cream shop I usually hit up after my round. It has a playground in the back that’s normally packed with kids playing and wearing ice cream stained T-shirts. Because it’s fall, I have to admit I’ve never actually been here during this time of year. I only play golf when it’s nice out. When I pull over I see the still, empty swing sets. The local coffee shop up ahead is empty too. All of the lights seem to be out in every little store as far as I can see. There are still a few cars parked on the road so I haven’t given up hope yet. Not as many cars as a typical day but enough for me to believe people were around in the not too distant past.

The unsettling part though is the lack of people. Every time I’ve been here the entire community seems to be out getting their daily fill of gossip.

The day is cool, but not cold enough to prevent everyone from being outside. Seeing I only have so much gas left and want to be sure to save enough for the real reason I made the trip, I conclude I’ve seen enough of this little town. I do a quick illegal U-turn and make my way back to the exit ramp. As I do I take one last peek at the town, trying to see any form of life. I’m not 100% certain nobody is here, but I’m almost convinced. Now that I see this town is deserted I know it’s not just my neighborhood that’s acting strange today. The real truth though will be when I get to Chesterfield. If that entire city is deserted, I’ll know I’m in big trouble!

Chapter 5

As I pull back onto the highway, the anticipation builds inside me. In about fifteen minutes the world that I know could dramatically change. If everything is normal in Chesterfield, it will be a huge sigh of relief. If it’s like everything else I’ve seen today, things are going to get bad in a hurry. I’m usually calm, cool, and collected but seeing the entire city of Chesterfield deserted would be tough even for me to take. I say to myself over and over that there’s no way an entire city as large as Chesterfield could completely disappear. Somebody has to be there, and I’ll do everything I can to find someone.

I look down at the speedometer and notice I’m going over ninety-five miles per hour. At this point though if the cops pull me over I’d get out of the car and give them a hug. My car barely handles this speed, but I’ve never been in such a rush to get somewhere as I am now. Abby’s office is the third exit from the highway, and only a couple miles or so once you get off. You have to go through several different stoplights and what seems like an abundant number of stores to get there. Chesterfield is a city that’s unofficially divided into two parts, the north and the south. Thankfully she works in the north side of town where the middle-upper class elderly people are. If she worked in south Chesterfield, she would need to pack a gun in her purse.

The south part really isn’t that bad by big city standards; the people are friendly and there’s nice diversity. But, there are a couple streets and neighborhoods in that area where you can’t help but pray for your life while driving through.

This is exactly what happened to Abby and me almost exactly a year ago. Abby, God love her, is lousy with directions. I’m not exactly a human GPS but I’m much better than she is. We found ourselves at a charity event for her work to raise money for a new building add-on to the nursing home. It was a Walk For a Cure event on the south side in an area she wasn’t very familiar with. Afterward, we were trying to make our way back onto Main Street, a road that seems to stretch across the entire city, when we made a wrong turn. Of course, this just happened to be the one time we had left our GPS unit in the house to update the stupid maps. I would love to go back in time to see exactly what turn we messed up, because to this day I have no clue what we did to get so lost.

During our little side trip we made our way down the scariest neighborhood I’ve ever seen. Every house was in need of a paint a job, and there was graffiti and litter everywhere. We drove up to a stop sign on the corner where there were about eight guys who looked like gang members gathered together. One of them ran out in front of our car while the others started to gather around. I couldn’t help thinking we were going to either get our car stolen, get shot, or (most likely) both.

One of them looked in through the window and said, “What the fuck are you doing here?” I completely froze up, gave a blank stare and didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, Abby is much better at thinking quickly, so she smiled and apologized saying we were lost. The guy took a small step back, looked around at our car and said, “That’s a fine car there, don’t mind if I take it for a spin do you?” Everyone around them started laughing.

I should mention we were in Abby’s black BMW, another little gift we treated ourselves to with the eighty thousand dollars we received from Abby’s grandparents. If we would have been in my Cavalier, they probably wouldn’t have even bothered us. Abby later told me if we were in the Cavalier they probably wouldn’t have taken it if we had given it to them. Because we were in the BMW though, and appeared to be well off, these hoodlums took a strong interest in us driving down their street.

At this point, I decided to step in and say, “Look, we don’t want any trouble. We are lost and we’ll be sure to never return here again.”

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say because the guy at my window said, “Boy, you better get the fuck out of the car right now.” As he started to reach down in his pocket for what most likely would be a gun, instinct took over and I stepped on the pedal not caring if I ran someone over in the process.

“Get down!” I told Abby as I grabbed her head and pushed it down. Meanwhile I ducked down too, getting as low as possible while still being able to peek over the dashboard to see where I was driving. I thought for sure I would soon be hearing gunshots, but they never came. I never looked back to see what kind of reaction those guys were having. Were they laughing? Were they chasing after the rich white kids that dared to drive down their street? I’ll never know and I don’t really care to know. After a few more minutes of wandering around, we somehow managed to make it back to Main Street and were on our way home.

I look over and see Exit 91A, which is Abby’s exit. This takes you right through the north and south division. The first couple minutes are technically the south side, but as long as you stay on Main Street it’s safe. I take the exit and make my way down the ramp with my heart rate starting to race even faster. This little area is filled with run-down shops, fast check stores, a few fast food places, and a couple gas stations. I look around, and at first glance it appears just like everything else I’ve seen today. There are a couple of cars here and there, but everything looks mostly deserted. It’s hard to tell because it’s mid-afternoon, but it doesn’t look like any lights are on in any of the stores. The streetlights are all off, and the most telling sign is that there are no cars on the road.

I glance around looking for any signs of life, and when my eyes turn back to the road I’m forced to slam on my breaks.

A little black cat jumps out in front of me and makes its way across the road. I put the car in park and get out, slowly walking toward it. The cat stops for a moment to look at me and see if I’m a threat to its survival. For all I can tell, this appears to be a normal-looking cat. Of course it’s a normal cat, why wouldn’t it be? Once it sees I’m not getting ready to pounce on it, it continues walking across the road, probably to go look for food somewhere. Based on its ragged-looking hair, I’m guessing it’s a stray. I wonder whether or not I have any reason to either follow the cat, or take the cat with me. I quickly dismiss both ideas. If it doesn’t have an owner, why should I care what dumpster it’s making its way toward? I also hate cats, so why would I take it with me?

Truth be told, I’m a little scared of them. Every cat experience I’ve had from friends growing up has been a bad one. I grew up with a dog and, for whatever reason, all dogs seem to love me. Cats, though, always give me that look that they’re going to attack if I come close. Because of this, I’ve always stayed away from my friends’ cats, which never drew any complaints from the cats.

By now, this cat is already across the street further erasing thoughts of taking it with me. It’s probably for the best; I could see it biting me and giving me rabies. I get back into the car and put my seat belt on… safety first. Then I continue my way toward Abby’s office.

While I drive, I seem to have discovered some newfound optimism. I suppose it was the cat and seeing signs of life. While I would prefer to see a human being, it’s mid-afternoon and this is the first time I’ve seen something else that breathes all day, so I’ll take what I can get.

When I make it to the north side of town, it’s more of the same. Instead of chicken restaurants and check-cashing stores, I see chain restaurants like Olive Garden, Applebees, TGI Fridays, etc., and your typical shopping stores like Marshall’s, Macy’s, and Kohls. If you enjoy the typical American shopping experience, this little congested area would be your utopia.

There are still no cars on the road, and none I can see in the parking lots either. My optimism from seeing the cat has quickly faded. I make a right turn, which puts me on Abby’s office road. She’s works only about a mile from here.

I’m not sure what the speed limit is on this little road but my guess is I’m doubling it. I can start to see Abby’s office in the distance. I hope I see her; I miss her uncontrollably. I’d give anything if I could give her a big hug and kiss now. I don’t care how stupid my story of why I’m here is, because if I can see her beautiful face it’s worth it.

I pull into the small parking lot of the nursing home where there are no cars — not a good sign. The parking lot has several handicap spots, so I pull into the closest non-handicap one. As I turn off the car and make my way toward the door I have an unusual optimism that she’s in there. I reach over to open the door and discover it’s locked. It’s three thirty in the afternoon; why is it locked? I peek inside and see the front desk, but none of the lights are on. I reach down again to try the handle. No luck. It’s now that I’m starting to freak out. I try the handle one last time and then start pounding on the door.

“Somebody let me in! Hello?”

I wait, but nobody is coming. I look around for something I can throw through the window but I only see the little red pebbles they use to decorate the outside of the building. I walk around until I discover a huge chunk of concrete that’s been broken off of the parking lot. I reach down and pick it up. It’s quite heavy even though it’s only the size of a football. As I stand by the front door with the concrete slab in my hands, I ask myself if I’m really going to do this. I’m not one to be mischievous, and getting caught doing this would most assuredly land me in the county jail. I’m far from caring now though. I get a full head of steam and launch the concrete chunk at the door window. It makes a loud crash as it slams into the top part of the window. Chunks of concrete go flying into the front lobby.

I look at the front door, which still has pieces of glass left. I do my best karate kick to break through the rest of it. The glass breaks much easier than expected, but the move causes my leg to rip open from a piece of the broken window.

I scream in pain as I pull my leg out of the door and assess the damage. My leg is dripping with blood and I immediately start to feel nauseated. The sight of blood always does this to me. The last time I went to the doctor for shots I passed out just from the sight of the needle.

I’m standing there bleeding all over the front of the door, so I take my jacket off and wrap it around my leg to stop the bleeding. Pressing down on it I can still feel the pain, but having my shirt cover the sight of it starts to make me feel a little better. I sit there keeping the pressure on for about five minutes and think about how stupid I was to kick the glass out. I take the jacket off to re-assess the damage. My jacket is covered in blood, as is my calf. The bleeding seems to have slowed down though so I wrap it again and stand up.

I carefully reach through the window and turn the door handle, which easily opens. I look around the front desk, and I have quick flashbacks of being here with the lights on and elderly people in wheelchairs with nurses pushing them along. Now though, it’s only quiet and darkness. I walk down the hallway peeking into rooms, but nobody is there. No elderly people, no nurses, no Abby. I know it doesn’t matter, but I shout anyway “Is anybody there?” I pause to listen but don’t hear even the faintest of sounds.

It’s at this very moment that I realize I am alone. There is nobody around, and I have nowhere to go. I am alone.

As I get back in the car, I try not to think about my cut leg, which would easily earn me a trip to the hospital if it were available. It could benefit from a few stitches.

Considering the limited gas resources I have available to me, I likely will not be returning here. I decide I better make sure of my conclusions that nobody is here by driving around at least a few more minutes before heading home. As long as I don’t stray far from Main Street and pay attention to where I’m going, I shouldn’t get lost. Plus, the highway is pretty easy to get to from the north side of town.

I make my way to Main Street and drive around deciding as long as I’m here I might as well knock on a few doors. This is the most logical thing I can think of to do now. I make a right turn into what looks like a nice upper-middle-class neighborhood with beautiful front lawns.

I pull over on the left side of the road, not something that’s technically legal. This house’s lawn is so perfect, I feel obligated to take the longer way up the driveway to make it to their front door. I knock on the door once, twice, and three times for good measure. I even try ringing the doorbell but don’t hear anything and assume it’s because of the power outage. I don’t waste any more time waiting to see if someone is coming to answer the door before I start peeking through windows.

I think back to that cat that I saw earlier, and it reminds me of all of those houses that I went to earlier. Why didn’t I see any cats or dogs in all the houses I looked in? Abby and I often go on walks during the summer and when we do, we hear barking from at least one little dog looking through a neighbor’s window. However, I thoroughly scanned through two entire streets and didn’t hear a bark, meow, or even bird chirp.

This house has a nice big-screen TV and bookshelf on the wall in the family room — no surprise there. I’m somewhat tempted to smash through the window to see what else they have. At the very least, I could grab some food in the kitchen. This feels so wrong though. I’m no burglar and I’m not about to steal anything. The nursing home seemed different to me because I was in a panic-stricken frame of mind when I did it. We all make bad decisions in times of weakness, and that was a rock-bottom part of the day for me. Now that I’ve gained some composure, I decide I’m not going to mess with this house and move onto the house across the street.

I can already tell this house has all of their window blinds closed.

“Bastards,” I say to myself.

I pound on the door anyway, and images flash in my head of the door opening and a woman inviting me in for dinner and tea. In reality, I knock on the door for a good three minutes and get no answer.

It only takes those two houses to convince me this is a waste of time. I’m glad I did it though, because if I didn’t I know I would have wanted to come back. I’m even more confident nobody is here.

I drive off making sure to make my way through a few more streets to see if I can find any signs of life but I see nothing. I roll down my windows just to see if I can hear dogs, cats, or even birds. Why aren’t there birds chirping? I make a note to listen for this when I get back home.

When I get to Main Street, I pull over and try to think of anything else I should do while I’m here. Is there anything else I should do or observe before heading home? Any souvenirs to bring back? I still have shards of glass window lodged in my leg, and decide that’s souvenir enough.

I can’t think of anything else to do so I start making my way back home. My empty and quiet home.

Chapter 6

Experiencing what has easily been the most bizarre day of my life, I can’t wait to get home, have some dinner, and wake up forgetting this day ever happened.

As I turn left onto the main road that leads to the highway, I still look both ways for oncoming traffic. I wonder how long it will take before I’m convinced I won’t see anyone around this area in the foreseeable future. I think back to that cat and how strange it was that I only saw one freakin’ cat all day. That was the only living, breathing thing that met my eyes. No people, no birds, no dogs, no ants, no Loch Ness monsters, just one stray black cat searching for its next meal.

Perhaps the cat had some kind of magical powers. Maybe it was a secret wizard cat that could turn into a human at any moment. If that were true that would mean I must have special powers too, but I know that’s not true. I’m just your normal, average person

It’s not that I’m unhappy; I have a good life and I’m grateful for what I have. I’m so blessed to be married to someone like Abby who I really don’t deserve. I have no idea why she picked me when there are so many better guys out there.

That’s why the situation I’m in seems so strange. Why ordinary me alone here? Not me and a handful of other people; just one single human being and a cat alone in this little speck of Earth. Did I lose the memo saying you’re supposed to disappear out of site today? The only thing I do know for sure is I want this day to be over.

I look at the speedometer and see my new standard eighty-five miles per hour. I would put it on cruise control but my Cavalier doesn’t even have that. In fact, I still have to manually roll my window up or down which embarrasses Abby every time she’s in the car with me.

I breeze past the little town I stopped in earlier. I think going there first reduced some of the shock I would have experienced if I had gone straight to Chesterfield. Granted, I still freaked out and kicked a nursing home window in, but at least I didn’t blow up the building in rage.

I look down at my gas gauge, “Shit!” My emergency light is on. Having experienced this several times before, I know this means I can still go about 25 miles before I run completely out of gas. Unfortunately I still have about thirty or thirty-five miles to go. How on Earth did this happen? I remember figuring in that I would be able to go down and back, and still have time for some sightseeing. Then it hits me — it’s something I remember reading about on the government’s fuel economy website. For every five miles per hour you go over fifty-five, your car’s gas mileage goes down. I can’t remember the exact numbers, but I do recall it was a pretty noticeable mileage difference between fifty-five and seventy miles per hour. I can’t imagine how poor the gas mileage I got was while going ninety-five freakin’ miles per hour!

This is the last thing I need, my shitty situation getting ever worse. Immediately, I take the car down to fifty-five miles per hour. Doing this feels unintuitive, as I want to drive fast and get back as soon as possible. If all the government’s testing says fifty-five miles per hour is the most efficient though, that’s how fast I’m going to go. Of course, they could just be making up those statistics so people will drive slower. I’ve learned not to believe everything I hear.

If there were a semi-truck on the road, I would be coasting behind it right now. I’ve heard you can save ten to forty percent on gas mileage that way. Exactly what I need to get me all the way home. This is all wasted thought though because there are no semis or even other cars on the road. It’s just my little Cavalier coasting along on an empty road.

I have no clue what I’ll do if I run out of gas. If this was any other day, I could just call AAA Road Side Assistance. They know me on an almost first-name basis. During high school especially it was the most valuable gift I received each year for Christmas.

The realization of how screwed I am takes its toll. I reach for my cell phone to see if by some miracle the service is back up, but I get even more anxious when I realize my battery died. Abby hates it when I drive without my cell phone and I’m not a huge fan of it either. You never know when something is going to happen. Even though I haven’t had service and still haven’t seen anyone today, I wish I still had my cell phone working. The moment the service is back up, I had planned on calling everyone I know until someone picked up. And if nobody did answer, I would start calling random numbers until someone told me what was going on. The thought of tossing my worthless phone out the window crosses my mind but I calm myself down enough so I don’t do something I’ll regret. This phone could come in handy later.

Adding to my concerns is the realization that I can’t just pull over to the side of the highway and hope someone drives by to help. I’ve never hitchhiked before, but if there were ever a time to join the club it would be now. Even if I didn’t hitchhike I could at least beg for gas or have them drive me to the nearest gas station. Not like that would matter when the gas stations aren’t working. I’m screwed if I run out of gas; there’s no other way to put it.

I begin doing the calculations in my head — if I’m ten miles short of my house when I run out, and I walk at a two-miles-per-hour pace, which I think I recall reading is a pretty average pace, that’s five hours of walking. That is less than splendid news considering I can’t remember the last time I walked one mile. It’s starting to feel like the beginning of a horror movie, a genre I’m not too fond of. Paying to see something that makes me uncomfortable and anxious never made much sense to me. If I do get stuck having to walk home, at least I’ll have a few hours of daylight for the journey. I’m trying to think of any positives I can at this point.

I look over at the exit sign and see I now have fifteen miles left to go. “Come on, Chevy! Take me home.” This car and I have battled through many snowstorms and other adventures, always getting me to where I need to go. It’s become a sense of pride for me.

Looking down at my speedometer it still says I’m going fifty-five, which feels unbearably slow. I have to fight the urge to floor it and make a mad dash to get home. Each mile feels like it takes forever and I make a promise to myself to never get in this situation again.

Ten miles to go. I’ve already reached my anticipated point of failure. Every mile from here on is icing on the cake. I look at the gas gauge and it points even farther left than what is considered empty. The red warning light is a reminder of anxious times from years past.

Five miles to go. I know it has to be any second now. It’s been several years since I’ve run out of gas, but I know there isn’t much time left. Five miles isn’t too bad. That’s only a couple hours of walking. “Come on Chevy, keep pushing. Just a few more miles.” I think about how five more minutes of driving would save me three hours. Oh, how underappreciated cars truly are. I touch my hand to my forehead and notice I’m sweating. I’m actually sweating, I’m so anxious. My heartbeat feels like it’s pounding through my chest. Regardless of what happens, I know this experience will take at least a couple months off my life from the stress.

One mile to go. I see the exit up ahead. Oh thank the Lord! How did this miracle ever happen? One mile of highway to go, and then maybe a couple more miles once I get off the highway. I’m looking at about an hour of walking time at the most. I start to get greedy now, thinking I’ll make it all the way home. It’s not just the walking; it’s my car being stranded on the road that bothers me too. If I wake up tomorrow and everything is somehow back to normal, I don’t want my car towed. Of all the things to be worried about, it even surprises me that this is toward the top of my list.

“Please Chevy, just a little farther.”

As I approach the exit, I flick on my turn signal with force, indicating my excitement. The exit is a small downhill ramp, and I put my car in neutral trying to squeeze out every last ounce of gas I can by coasting down the hill. I gather speed as my car moves down the ramp. I can barely keep the car on the road at this speed, but I keep focus and see the grocery store I was at earlier up on the right. I kick my car back into drive, push down on the gas pedal, and drive a few more seconds before the inevitable happens. My car lets off a few spurts, choking to let me know it’s using its last few ounces of gas. As it does, I turn off of the road and into the grocery store parking lot where it dies.

I let out a big sigh. OK, this didn’t end up being as bad as I thought. I’m less than a couple miles from my house, and a little exercise never hurt anybody. I get out of my car and notice I’ve stopped in the middle of the lane, not actually inside a parking spot. As much as this shouldn’t bother me, it does. I put it in neutral and try to push the car into a spot.

After a few hard pushes, it doesn’t even budge. “What a pathetic little weakling I am!” I say, as I start huffing and puffing for air. If my car gets towed, I’ll happily pay the $150 fine. Hell, at this point someone can take the damn car for all I care. I just want to go home and lie in my bed with beautiful Abby next to me. What I wouldn’t give to caress her hair and give her a big kiss. The power can stay out forever as long as she’s here with me. Some of my best memories with her are lying in bed with no TV, Internet, or any other distractions, and her and I just talk and laugh about nonsense things. Abby is the funniest girl I know and always finds a way to make me laugh.

I look in my car to see if there’s anything that I want to take with me on the way back. I grab my coat and reach to shut the door until I realize something else I might need — my keys. Someone seeing keys in the ignition and stealing the car wouldn’t bother me nearly as much as walking two miles home only to realize I don’t have a house key.

As I make my walk home, it doesn’t take long before I realize just how slow walking actually is compared to driving. After five minutes, when I normally would be all the way home by now, I look back and laugh as my car is still in full view. Maybe this is going to take longer than I thought.

Considering that I’m walking instead of driving, I think about my route home and whether or not there are any corners I can cut. After all, it’s not like I have to walk on the road the entire time. I can cut through yards and make a straight path to my house if I need to. When I think about it though there aren’t very many timesaving opportunities.

It’s a funny feeling walking in the middle of a road that’s usually lined with cars. I look around and see lots of little stores I never knew were here. There’s a strip mall with a BBQ wings joint. I’ve never seen it before — Is it new? I would love to eat some wings now. Thinking of food makes me realize how hungry I am. Because I normally have an early lunch, I have an early dinner on a normal day as well. If I hadn’t already been walking for fifteen minutes and too lazy to go back, I might consider trying to break into the grocery store and grab some food. I daydream of my little Cavalier smashing through the grocery store’s glass doors at top speed, doing no damage to the car or me. Now that would be fun!

I make a turn left onto a mile-long road that should make up the good portion of this trip. I don’t know why, but coming onto this road inspires me to pick up the pace. I break out into a small jog, which feels stupid even attempting. I haven’t run or done any formidable exercise since my sports days in high school. Fortunately, I’m blessed with a good metabolism so I stay skinny.

It only takes a few minutes before I start huffing and puffing, which I find quite pathetic. Even in my sports days I wasn’t always in peak fitness, but I could run a couple miles without breaking a sweat. Now, I’ve just run a half-mile and can already feel that pain in the left side of my stomach. Why is it that you always feel that sharp pain on one side? It’s as if your right and left abdomen are communicating amongst themselves to decide which one is going to hurt this time. This sharp pain makes me stop to catch my breath. I bend over and start to feel my lunch making its way to the back of my throat. All of this from just four minutes of running, it absolutely baffles me how anyone can run for four hours during a marathon. I bend over with my hands on my knees, something my coaches repeatedly told me not to do when you’re tired. I never understood this theory either. I start dry heaving, but I don’t end up losing my lunch. When I catch my breath, I continue walking home.

If there’s anything that my little run has helped me with, it’s that I’m not hungry anymore. I’m more motivated than ever to get home so I can lie on the couch and forget this awful day ever happened. Of course, it’s not like I have a lot of bountiful food choices when I get home. It’s hard to make anything delicious without a stove, oven, or even a microwave. Monday is supposed to be grocery night after I get off of work but today hasn’t exactly been my normal routine. My luxurious food options when I get back will amount to cereal or a couple un-toasted Pop-Tarts. As stressful as today has been, I may give myself a little treat and have both.

As I continue walking I see I’m close to where I would make a right turn if I was in my car, but since I’m not, I can take my first shortcut through a couple neighbors’ yards to save time.

Right as I’m about to do this though, I hear something. It isn’t the small wind rustling the trees or the sound of birds chirping.

When I turn around, I see it far in the distance. It’s making its way toward me down the road I just came from. At first, it looks like a cat but it’s hard to tell being so far away. My limited knowledge of cats though knows they are more likely to run away from danger than instigate it. No, this isn’t a cat. As it gets closer I see it’s a dog — a rottweiler. A very mean and angry rottweiler that’s looking to make me its next meal.

Chapter 7

Judging the distance, I guess the dog is about three quarters of a mile away and closing in fast. Its ferocious barks make it sound like it is very angry with me and seeking punishment.

Unfortunately, I have two fears: a fear of heights, and a fear of being chased. While I sometimes run into my fear of heights when traveling, my fear of being chased rarely comes up. The last time was when some of my drunken college friends and I decided to go to a haunted maze. Everything was fine until Michael Myers came out and started chasing us with a fake chainsaw. Out of all of us, I was the only one who took off running and screaming like a little girl. I honest-to-God thought the guy had a real chainsaw until he got up next to me and didn’t chop me in half. He was probably wondering if I was just messing with him; I wasn’t. I’ve never seen my friends laugh so hard.

Now I have this insane dog running at me and my heart rate couldn’t beat faster. It’s amazing how life-threatening moments can instantaneously take you from very calm to energetic enough to lift a car. Adrenaline has an unbelievable storage system for moments like this.

I turn my head to look for something, anything that can keep me out of harm’s way. I know I have absolutely no chance of outrunning this dog so I also look for some kind of weapon I can use. There’s a tree next to me with a small stick by the trunk. The moment I pick up the stick I know it would do little good to protect me, so I throw it back to the ground. The tree next to me is impossible to climb — no branches for at least ten feet. If I somehow had superhuman arm strength, I could wrap my arms around it and climb up, but even with my adrenaline pumping it’s too difficult.

About fifty yards ahead is a house with a high fence. I’m not sure if I can climb it but I have no other choice. I look back at the dog, “Oh shit!” he’s only a few hundred yards away. I only took my eyes off of him for a second, how is he this close already? His barks get louder and louder, and I’ve never seen a dog that looks this angry. I might as well call him Cujo.

Immediately, I sprint toward the fence. I have no clue how I’m going to climb it other than to jump, put my foot out, and hope for the best. Halfway to the fence, I look back and wish I hadn’t. Cujo is right behind me, no more than a few seconds away. That precious second, I know, is going to cost me dearly. If he gets a hold of me he’ll rip me to shreds in no time.

The fence is moments away. With its wooden edges at the top, it was probably designed this way so intruders like me don’t try to climb over.

I take one final step and jump with both feet, reaching for the top of the fence and pulling my arms over. I wince as I feel my upper arm being gashed by one of the wooden spikes. With no time to waste, I pull my right leg over the fence. As I do, my left leg is exposed and Cujo jumps to attack. He makes one big chomp but misses. I can feel the hair and slobber from his mouth graze my ankle. I pull my left leg up over the fence and roll over the top landing hard on the other side. Cujo is screaming his fury only a couple feet from me, but there’s nothing he can do now. The fence is too high for him to climb and it would take hours of scratching and digging to get through. It was clearly designed for dog owners. This realization makes me dart my head around searching for a dog in the backyard but there’s none; I am safe. The fence surrounds the entire backyard and there’s a door to get out, but considering I’m only a few feet from Cujo I don’t see myself opening it any time soon.

“Shut up!” I shout at Cujo, who is still in a constant stream of barking. I feel like pulling myself up to the top of the fence to mock him at my escape, but I don’t want to upset him any more than he already is. He might actually be capable of jumping over this fence as angry as he is.

I look down at my right arm, which is dripping with blood. It goes very well with my leg, which is also starting to bleed again. I press my shirt down over the wound to stop the bleeding. Once that’s in place I investigate the surrounding area. The backyard is pretty typical compared to the other backyards I’ve seen in the area, very small with not much in them. This particular backyard has a small patio and shed where they most likely keep their lawn mower. I make my way over to the shed and much to my surprise it is unlocked. I open the door and, just as expected, see a small riding lawn mower. There’s also a gas tank. I lift it up, “Sweet!” It’s full! I look down to see how much gas this particular tank has. It’s hard to read, but it appears to say five gallons, which is enough to fill up a little less than half of my empty Cavalier. I can only hope the gas is unleaded. If not, I’ll get to blow myself up later.

Besides the mower and gas tank, all that’s left in the shed is a shovel, an edge trimmer, and a retractable ladder. None of these are useful to me except for maybe the shovel. I suppose I should feel guilty taking the gas tank, after all, it is stealing. I should also be concerned my fingerprints are all over this place but I know first-hand from having stuff stolen from me that police officers don’t act like they do on TV — they don’t give a shit. Of the three times my car was broken into, they ran fingerprints exactly zero times. In fact, only once did a police officer even come to inspect the damages. The other two times they told me to fill out an online form stating what was stolen so that they could send it to the insurance company. I could have written down that my life’s savings was stolen and they couldn’t have cared less.

I’m making my way out of the shed, gas tank in hand, when I am met with a nice surprise — silence! I try looking through the cracks in the fence but the wood panels are too close together to see anything. I listen closely but don’t hear any movement or breathing. I can’t imagine Cujo has given up so quickly, especially considering the closest non-human food I’ve seen is a cat that’s forty-five miles away, but I’m not sure how much Cujo likes Chinese food.

After listening for a few minutes, I decide I have to peek out to see if Cujo really is gone. I walk over to the fence door, pull down the latch, and swing the door open. I take a few cautious steps away from the door. Still seeing nothing, I look around the corner and gasp at what I see. Cujo is standing there on the road. He jerks his head up and his expression immediately turns to rage, running after me like he did before. I run to the door, which is still cracked open. Just as I get in and shut the door, I catch a glimpse of Cujo’s evil eyes as his attempt to get me fails for the second time. The door automatically locks in place when I close it, and I am safe once again. Cujo continues barking his fury at me.

“Ha, you little piece of shit. Missed me again didn’t you?”

I suppose I’ve hit rock bottom, talking trash to a dog by myself with nobody around. Outrunning this little monster twice now though is cause for a little gloating.

My happiness is short-lived because I realize for the rest of the day I’m stuck here. There’s two or three hours of daylight left and I’m sure Cujo has no intentions of leaving any time soon. My house is only a few blocks away; if I sprinted it would take about five minutes. If Cujo is around and sinks his teeth in me, I might not make it back alive. Even though I have a shovel to protect me now, it still might not be a match for Cujo. This dog is mean; a shovel to the head might not even faze him. My best and only option now is to wait it out and hope he’s gone in the morning. Then I can make the sprint to my house and pray to God he’s moved on to better things.

That still leaves me here in this empty yard though. I make my way up the patio steps, and approach the back door. Please be unlocked. Please be unlocked! I turn the doorknob, “Damn!” it’s locked. Well this is just great. What am I supposed to do now? Camp in the backyard all night? I’m not one to have any problems sleeping, but if it involves sleeping outside I’d at least like to have a tent to keep the bugs out.

I step down from the patio and see there’s one bedroom window. I could take the shovel and bash my way in. My conscience is sending signals this is wrong, but I’m not going to sleep out here in the middle of the yard all night. Besides, my appetite is back and I’m starving.

I go back into the shed, grab the shovel, and go over my options, making sure I’m ready to commit this felony. If I were a good little boy and tried to make it home, I’m almost guaranteed to find Cujo. That’s something I want to avoid at all costs. I could camp out in the backyard tonight, starving and freezing to death. Or, the third option, I smash through this window and have myself a feast on whatever cereal they have, along with a warm bed to sleep in. The only downside to option three is a moral issue. That and if the owners make their way home and see some weirdo sleeping in their bed, they’d beat me to death with this shovel.

All things considered, I decide option three is worth the risk. With my eyes closed, I make my best baseball swing at the window and hear a loud crashing sound as the shovel successfully blasts through the window. Glass explodes everywhere, but I’ve managed to stay safe this time. If only I had this shovel earlier today.

Unfortunately, I’ve learned that glass doesn’t break quite like it does in the movies — shattering into a million tiny little pieces. Instead it breaks into much larger pieces, which are incredibly sharp and painful. My home-run swing has broken through a lot of the glass, but I still have to spend a few minutes jabbing through the rest in order to get through the window. Why didn’t the shed have a nice pair of work gloves?

Once I’ve broken through all the glass, I make my way through the window and try my best to avoid another incident. As luck would have it, I make my way in unscathed. My first breaking and entering is off to a roaring success!

As I predicted, this is indeed a bedroom, although it doesn’t look like the master. Most of the houses in this neighborhood are two-stories, where the master bedroom is upstairs.

I begin exploring the rest of the bottom floor, which is very tidy and clean. The family room has a big screen TV with a nice, long leather couch surrounding it. My favorite room in the house, the kitchen, is right behind it. The two rooms have a very open feel that all housewives love, being able to cook and watch their husbands watch Monday Night Football at the same time.

When I go to the pantry, I’m delighted by the plethora of cereal options. They’ve even splurged on the name-brand cereal, something I usually don’t buy because I’m cheap. I open every single cabinet until finally the last one I choose is the one with the cereal bowls. I grab the biggest one I can find and start digging in. Normally, I eat cereal with milk like every other normal person. Milk now may be a bad idea since it’s been warming for almost a day now. I’m starved, so dry cereal is more than enough for my taste buds. I am, however, a bit thirsty. It occurs to me I haven’t drunk any water all day. Fortunately, at the bottom of the pantry is about a half-dozen bottles of water. I waste no time opening one and chugging the entire thing. Once I finish, I’m reminded again the power is out and I go into a panic. I run over to the faucet to see if the water works. Just as I expect, it doesn’t. I’ve learned from somewhere that a person can live for several days without food, but much less time without water. With no faucet water, I’m left with drinking only the bottled water I can find.

It’s starting to get dark so I begin opening up drawers and looking for a flashlight. To my surprise I find a nice, bright flashlight in one of the kitchen drawers.

While I still have daylight left, I begin surveying the rest of the house. I can’t help feeling creepy doing this. I’m in somebody else’s home, without their permission, snooping around through their stuff. If they came home now I would die of humiliation. What on Earth would I say and do if they came back? I think I’d find the first door I could and take off running. I’d rather face Cujo than experience that level of embarrassment. If I told them the truth about my story they’d probably think I escaped from the nut house.

As I peek through their rooms, it looks like they have one teenage boy and a younger girl. One room is filled with heavy metal band posters on the wall and black Misfit clothes on the floor; I’ll bet this kid is a troublemaker. The little girl’s room couldn’t be more different. It’s clean, tidy, and pink from floor to ceiling with unicorn posters hanging on the wall.

I think of anything in the house I might want to take back with me. The first thing, obviously, is all of the cereal, peanut butter, and other food that doesn’t need to be cooked. I look for something to put everything in and find a large suitcase in a closet. It’s a little unorthodox to put food in it, but it’s easy to carry and should get the job done.

Looking through the master bedroom, there’s really nothing of use I can find. I have all of the clothes and other items I need at my house. Opening up the underwear drawer, it looks like mama has a few pounds to lose. These panties are large enough to cover a small child.

Dad needs to get over his obsession with plaid, flannel shirts. Seeing these redneck shirts makes me wonder if dad is packing something else — guns. I’ve never actually shot a gun before, but the thought of protection sounds like a good idea. After all, how hard can it really be? Insert bullet, take off the safety, and then pull the trigger and blast away. I’m not an evil person, but I would love to take on Cujo with a gun rather than a shovel.

I make a mad dash throughout the house looking for any kind of weaponry. My father wasn’t a hunter, so I’m not sure where you keep this kind of stuff. I suppose with two kids it isn’t something you have lying around on the kitchen table. I check under their bed but only see another flannel shirt and a pair of socks.

I revisit the closet, but no weaponry there. I check to see if they have a basement but it doesn’t look like they do. I even revisit little Misfit’s room but expect to find pot more than I expect to find a gun. As it turns out though I find neither, not even a pack of cigarettes. Little Misfit must be bad boy on the outside and good wholesome boy on the inside.

I don’t even bother revisiting the little princess’s room; I doubt she’s packing heat. I do decide to visit the last place in the house I would expect to find a gun — the garage. I don’t know why someone would have a gun in the garage but it’s my last hope. As I’m reminded again, garages are extremely dark when there’s no electricity so I get my first opportunity to use my new flashlight.

Surprisingly, there are no cars in the garage. Did they go where everyone else went? As I scope out the area, Mr. Flannel appears to have a nice tool collection and a bench to work on. He must be a handyman. The bench takes up a lot of room, enough that they most likely can only fit one car in here. Surveying the tools, I would think some of this would be of use to me but I can’t think of anything that would. There’s a hammer but if I were going to attack Cujo I’d rather use a shovel. There’s also an assortment of wrenches and screwdrivers but I’m not working on a car or putting a toy house together anytime soon. It’s hard for me to believe, but with all of this junk I can’t find anything useful to take with me. No guns or weapons in the entire house. It looks like Mr. Hunter Flannel is a poser just like his son. I go back inside empty-handed.

I can’t find any clock, but the sun is getting ready to set so it’s probably around seven o’clock or half past. It’s starting to become very dark already, and I realize it’s about to become extremely boring too. I’m in an empty house all by myself, and it’s about to become pitch black. Unless I feel like snooping around the house some more with my flashlight, there’s nothing for me to do other than sit here with my thoughts.

As the last few minutes of daylight shine through, I decide to sleep on the sofa. Who knows what Mrs. Big Panties and Mr. Flannel like to do in their bed.

My thoughts turn to tomorrow. Will I wake up and find everything back to normal? If so, I’m definitely taking a sick day. I’m not planning on this so I work on my strategy assuming nobody will be around. I’ll take the food, bottled water, gas tank, and shovel and make my way home… hoping I don’t run into Cujo along the way. I have enough food and water to keep me alive for at least a few weeks, but I don’t have much gas to get me very far. Where would I go anyway? I suppose I could take off and drive in one direction as far as it will take me until I find someone. With three-quarters of a tank in Abby’s car and the few gallons left in my neighbor’s gas tank, that should get me around three hundred miles, provided I don’t drive like a maniac again. I’m sure I could find someone to help me in that distance.

I don’t think about it anymore because tomorrow, when I wake up, I’m confident I’ll find somebody to talk to. It’s too unrealistic that everyone took off and left without me; someone must have stayed.

With these thoughts in mind, I drift my attention to Abby. I wonder where she at this exact moment. What is she doing right now? I hope she’s safe, even though I’m sure she’s a nervous wreck without me. I wish there was some way to tell her I’m OK, that I’m smart enough to figure this thing out and find her. All I want right now is for her to be here with me. None of this would matter if she were here.

It’s moments like these, with no distractions, that you have time to think about what’s really important in life. In my life, it’s most certainly Abby. “I love you sweetie, and I miss you,” I say out loud to myself hoping that by some miracle she can hear me.

Chapter 8

As one might expect, I tossed and turned all night. A combination of having a lot on my mind, being worried the owners might somehow come home, and sleeping in a new environment is the perfect recipe for a poor night’s sleep. I lay awake for hours just thinking about how strange and crazy these past twenty-four hours have been. This type of thing just doesn’t happen to a normal person like me and I can’t grasp what is going on or why.

When I get up I think about how good a shower would feel. This is something I haven’t even thought of yet, but unless I start using my bottled water to bathe I’m going to be a real smelly mess soon. I haven’t showered since the night before last, when I thought I would be giving a big presentation. How entirely false that turned out to be.

What other things am I forgetting that could pose real problems later? With no modes of communication, I won’t be able to file my taxes! It’s actually comforting to know that even if everyone on Earth has disappeared, the IRS will still come after me when my taxes go unpaid in April.

For now, as long as I have food, water, and shelter, I can survive until I get this figured out or until someone comes and finds me.

Based on all of last night’s thinking, I’ve decided to make a trip to the local department store for supplies after I make it home. The store will no doubt be locked, but fortunately I now have a shovel to use as a key to get in. I’ll stock up on as much food and water as I can today, so I can leave this town first thing tomorrow.

Throughout the night, I came up with some great ideas I hadn’t thought of before. First, I found a solution to the no-gas-station situation. If I pick up a gas siphon pump, I can find a car on my drive to wherever I’m going and steal the remaining gas that’s left in that car. Cars have been around everywhere I go, so all I need to do is find one when I’m getting a little low. I’ve never actually siphoned gas before, but I can’t imagine it could be hard. Insert tube into both cars, and then do some sort of pumping action until you get the gas out of the other car and into yours. I remember when stealing gas was a huge problem in my high school years. Gas prices were out of control and climbing all the way to — wait for it – three dollars a gallon! Today, people would be dancing in the streets if prices dropped that low. It’s amazing how everyone thinks and acts the same way as everyone else. If other people are freaking out about three dollars a gallon for gas, they all stock up on siphons.

Second, I stock up on all the food and bottled water here before I leave. Mrs. Big Panties has loads of cereal and water but everything else needs to be cooked. I figure I should add some variety to my food choices when I get to the store. I can make peanut butter sandwiches while the bread is still fresh. I can also snack on nuts and potato chips.

Third, I figure I better pick up some protection that’s better than a shovel in case I have another Cujo attack or there’s a huge zombie outbreak. And speaking of zombies, I know it sounds stupid but I remember hearing about a book that was called Zombie Survival Guide. I think it was meant to be a joke but it gives a serious account of what you should do if there’s a zombie outbreak. Since my situation is similar to that, it might have some good tips regarding food and shelter. At the very least it would give me some entertainment in a no TV or Wi-Fi connection world.

After my morning bowl of cereal, I put my bowl in the dishwasher. Sure, I’ve smashed through this family’s window with a shovel, stolen things, and slept on their couch but that doesn’t mean I should lose my manners.

I consider leaving some money on their table. I’ve never bought a window before but I bet they’re expensive. Then I remember how cheap I am, and also that I may run into a human being later whom I need to bribe with cash. Sorry Mrs. Big Panties, pay for your own damn window. Insurance will cover it.

I begin stuffing every last cereal box and bottle of water I can into their over-sized suitcase and head out the back door. I place the gas tank on top of the suitcase and roll it. This frees up my other hand to carry my shovel and use it as a weapon against Cujo if he intrudes.

Now I’m ready and I open the backyard fence door. I look around the corner, expecting to see my little furry friend but don’t. Once I see he’s not there I take off in a light run. I go as fast as one possibly can while dragging a suitcase with a gas tank on top and holding a shovel. It doesn’t take long before I get winded. Yesterday, when I first started running, I didn’t have a dog chasing me, so I stopped to rest. Today, there’s no dog yet but I know he’s close — I can feel it. No matter how much pain I’m in, I’m not stopping until I make it home.

As I look around, it still seems deserted. I try to remember if any of the cars have moved or if anything else looks different. Nothing does, but I decide I don’t remember much because I was preoccupied with saving my life. I take a brief look behind me — still no signs of anything chasing me.

I only have a couple blocks to go. I’m starting to feel the stitch in my side but I ignore it. I can picture Cujo in my head chasing me; he smells my fear. I have a shovel now so I at least have a fighting chance, but it’s a fight I’d rather avoid.

One block to go. I can see my street sign in the short distance. I might make it! I don’t look back anymore for fear of what I might see.

I turn onto my street, which gives me a shot of adrenaline. I’m at a full sprint now. I’ve never wanted to be home so much in my entire life. The stitch in my side feels like it’s ready to burst open but I ignore it.

Just as I’m about to enter into my driveway the gas tank topples over, knocking the cap off in the process and spilling gas all over the sidewalk. I grab the tank as fast as I can, trying to save every last ounce of gas.

I pull up the garage door and drag my belongings into the garage. Then, making one last look back, fully expecting to see Cujo staring at me, I see nothing. Just an empty, quiet street. I pull the garage door down, loving every bit of the pitch-black darkness that ensues. I am safe once again.

I lie on the couch for what has to be a half hour trying to catch my breath. I’ve never felt more like an unhealthy, lazy piece of shit then I do now. Someone my age should not be huffing and puffing like this after such a short amount of exercise. Fortunately, nobody is here to witness it, so at least I still have my dignity. I wouldn’t even want Abby to see me in this state after jogging less than a mile.

Nevertheless, I’m thankful I didn’t see Cujo again. A battle with him would most likely have been a battle to the death. As much as I understand it would be in self-defense, I still can’t imagine myself killing a dog with a shovel. It’s so barbaric, so evil — even if Cujo is a crazed lunatic of a dog. I imagine myself taking one big swing at him and hearing a poor little whimper as it connects. I’m filled with regret just thinking about it.

After I catch my breath, I’m tempted to take a nap. I slept poorly last night and it takes everything I can just to stand up. I must get to the department store though. I’ve learned over the years that when something really needs to get done it’s best to get it over with as soon as possible. I once waited months to get my wisdom teeth remove because I hated the idea of having surgery. My teeth were rotted black! When I finally got the surgery I wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner.

I make my way to the garage and pull the door up. I almost forget my car is still at the grocery store and I get to drive Abby’s car.

As I pull into the department store parking lot, it’s still hard for me to get used to the lack of cars around. You never fully understand how large a parking lot is until you see it completely empty.

I pull up right next to the sliding glass doors. I’ve come a long way in twenty-four hours; yesterday I wouldn’t even park in a handicap spot. I try the doors to see if they swing open, and when they don’t I waste no time getting the shovel out of the trunk. Batter up! I get into my best baseball swing stance, ready to unleash my full force into the glass door. I take a side step forward and swing with all of the effort I can muster. The swing lets out all my frustration the last day has caused me. There’s a thud but not the sound of glass being broken that I was expecting. “Damn it,” this is some strong glass; I barely made a scratch. I take another swing but get equal results. I take a swing at the other side of the door but it’s made from the same heavy-duty material.

Well this is not what I was planning for! What am I supposed to do now? I thought this would be the easy part, with walking around in a dark, smelly department store being the difficult part. I’m left thinking of other options to get in.

I really don’t want to be stuck in this town eating nothing but cereal and leftover peanut butter forever. I have to find a way to get in. I look over at Abby’s car and an idea strikes me. Just like they do in the movies, I’ll slam through the front entrance with the car. This idea sounds nuts and I remind myself this isn’t a movie. It will destroy the car. If it was my car I wouldn’t care but this is Abby’s very nice — and very expensive to insure, by the way — black BMW. Knowing my luck I wouldn’t break the door and instead cause a self-inflicted head-on collision, destroying the car — and my neck — in the process.

I contemplate the pros and cons and decide that crashing the car through the door is my only option. This is absolute craziness, but I always say desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m usually kidding when I say this right before I’m about to do something really stupid, and this would fall under one of those occasions. Another one of my favorite sayings, “you only live life once,” gives me the motivation I need to get started.

I get in the car and buckle up, safety first. Thinking as rationally as possible, I decide to back into the door as opposed to a full, head-on crash. My thinking is, with the impact, if I hit the door going forward and stop abruptly, my head will go forward and get whiplash. But if I back into it, my head will just hit the back of the seat. Also, I prefer the idea of causing massive damage to the back of the car instead of the front. Maybe that’s because the engine is in the front, and I want to eliminate any chance of the car blowing up. Causing damage to the back of the car will also be much easier to ignore while I’m driving. I’ve got enough on my mind, and driving with my front windshield gone isn’t something else I want to deal with now.

I start the engine and I decide to do a test run at a low speed to see if that will be enough damage. After all, there’s no reason to go crazy and cause massive destruction if you don’t have to.

Starting from only about five yards away I ease on the gas and slowly back my way into the door. I hear a loud crash, which sounds like the back of my car being destroyed. My heart rate starts to pick up. What a stupid idea! I’ve probably just inflicted thousands of dollars in damage to Abby’s car. I’m sure there’s a loophole my car insurance company can find about attempted break-ins.

I move the car up to assess the damages. When I get out, I’m surprised to see the sliding glass door has been smashed all the way through. The frame of the door is severely bent, but the glass has shattered enough for me to at least make an entrance. Before I assess the car’s damage, I close my eyes and take a deep breathe. “No matter what, it was worth it. I have no other choice,” I tell myself. I walk over and see the middle of the trunk is smashed upward, although only by a few inches and it’s impossible for me to notice while driving. It’s something I would definitely get repaired, but, all things considered, I’m pleased with how little damage there is.

I take my shovel and jab out the remaining glass. I go back to the car to grab my flashlight and then make my way inside.

It’s dark, but there’s still some light coming in through the front door. A flashlight though makes the job a lot easier.

I go through my list of things I want to get: batteries for the flashlight, gas jugs, a gas siphon, an ax, guns and ammo, a car map, lots of peanut butter, lots of cereal, lots of bottled water, and any other food I see that’s edible at room temperature.

I grab a shopping cart and go through the empty isles. As always, I head down the non-food isles first and start by grabbing a gas tank. I debate whether I should grab another, then I realize, at the price of free, I might as well err on the side of caution and grab one more. Next to the gas tanks are gas siphons. I grab a couple of those as well (just in case one gets dirty).

Next is the hunting area. I’ve never actually walked through here before, but it doesn’t take long before I realize they don’t sell guns. They have all the hunting accessories you could possibly imagine but no guns. This is disappointing news. I try to recall any gun stores nearby but can’t think of any.

As I walk around the rest of the hunting area I do notice they have BB and pellet guns. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it will have to do. I know nothing about these guns except that pellet guns are more powerful than BB guns. They have three different versions, so I grab the one with the biggest box. Fortunately, it looks like there’s only one type of pellet ammo, so at least I won’t worry about getting the wrong type.

Next on my list is an ax, which I have no clue where to find. After walking down several aisles for about fifteen minutes, I do locate one. There’s only one choice, and it’s not the big burly ax I was imagining for serious destruction. It’s small with the blade not much farther than the handle. Again though, it’s better than nothing.

Even though I’ve never actually read a map before, I figure I should pick one up. My entire driving life has consisted of printing off Mapquest directions, then graduating to GPS devices. I’ve never had the need to take out a map and plot how to get to my destination before. Working with a map seems so primitive; I can’t imagine how difficult life was before the Internet. Millions of arguments must have been saved on family vacations by a little gadget telling you step-by-step how to get there.

When I get to the maps section, I’m amazed at how many there are. Since I’m not paying today, I grab any and every map I think I might possibly need.

Now it’s food and drink time. I go back to the front and grab another cart, making sure to start with several twenty-four-pack cases of bottled water.

The next aisle is for cereal. I get excited and grab all the healthy, organic stuff I always think about trying but never do. Before I know it, I have about fifteen to twenty bags of various kinds of cereal stuffed in my cart, seeing this makes my mouth water. I wonder why I’m so hungry and then realize I haven’t had much to eat in the past twenty-four hours.

I go down the bread aisle and am pleased to see there are still some loaves that don’t expire for another week. I also grab a couple jars of peanut butter, which are high in calories — exactly what I need for my no-cooking diet.

I also grab a few other things I hadn’t thought of, like bananas and other various fruits and head toward the front of the store. I find it a bit amusing that I have an entire store of free stuff and this is all I take with me.

I take my cart to the car and then decide I can do better than this. I recheck my list and see I forgot batteries, so I make sure to grab those. I also remember I wanted to look for that zombie book but don’t find it, so I pick up a few other books for entertainment.

I see some warm blankets that may come in handy and also grab a warm jacket and some clothes.

In my second trip through the food aisle, I grab a few boxes of chips, crackers, and all that other bad stuff you’re not supposed to eat. I figure it’s better to eat bad stuff than nothing at all. I also stock up on a ton of mixed nuts. Why didn’t I think of this before? They’re healthy and filling.

Other than that, I can’t think of anything else I could possibly need or want for the trip. Sure, if the electricity worked I would go hog-wild on the electronics section. But, considering big screen TVs and other electronic gizmos are useless right now I don’t bother; my thoughts are only geared toward survival.

I start cramming all the stuff in the car and wonder how this weight is going to affect my fuel mileage. Food and water trumps getting a few more miles in the car though.

The entire backseat and trunk are filled with stuff. I leave the front passenger seat available for easy access to weapons in case of a zombie attack. I wouldn’t want a massive group of zombies coming towards me, ready to eat my brains when my pellet gun is stuck in the trunk.

Just as I’m closing my dismantled trunk — which still works despite being dinged up — is when I see it. Actually, I hear it before I actually see it. It’s a car. A black car driving down the road!

Chapter 9

It’s far in the distance, but I can tell this car’s going fast, much faster than the speed limit. I jump in my car and chase after it, but by the time I even make it out of the parking lot the car is out of sight. This road goes on for three miles before there’s an exit ramp taking you onto the highway. During those three miles there’s really nowhere else to go. Just a couple back roads and a small little town where a cop is always out pulling people over.

I slam on the gas and speed toward the black mystery car. Why were they going so fast? I suppose I’ve been driving everywhere faster than normal too.

If I can just get within viewing distance, I’m sure they’ll slow down and be as delighted to see me as I am to see them. That’s assuming they also think they’re alone. If not, I’ll look like a crazy person chasing after them. I’m not sure how I’ll explain the several cases of bottled water, a lifetime supply of cereal, and a pellet gun sitting in the passenger seat. Hopefully they won’t see that.

The road has a few twists and turns that I’m quite familiar with. The car was going fast and had about a forty-five-second start on me but with Abby’s BMW and my knowledge of the road I might be able to catch up.

Time is against me as it’s only a couple more miles until the highway. After that it’s pure guesswork whether or not they went on the highway.

One mile to go. I would have thought I’d see a glimpse of the car by now. They must be going really fast! I make my way into the speed trap town where the speed limit drops from forty-five to twenty-five miles per hour. There’s a semi-hidden spot where the police car always hides.

I see the exit ramp in the distance and guess that’s where they’re going. I remind myself to continue looking around just in case they don’t make it onto the highway. If they are headed there, I’ll almost certainly see them because both sides of the highway stretch for a few miles before there’s a turn to take them out of sight.

I take the first exit ramp and head east. It’s a coin toss whether they went east or west so I choose east because it’s the first exit. As I make it onto the highway, I see nothing but emptiness in front of me. I look behind me but there’s nothing in the other direction either. Did they continue on and not go on the highway?

With nothing in front of me, I turn the car around and head west driving on the opposite side of the road. Even though there aren’t any cars, the feeling is quite exhilarating. The fear is still there that a car might come around and crash into me head on. I step on the gas anyway and see I’m going ninety-five miles per hour. After the bend I can see two miles ahead but don’t see any sight of the black car. It’s at this point I decide to give up.

As much as I hate driving away from the first sign of human life I’ve seen, I turn back east knowing the car is long gone by now. If they were desperately searching for human life, they would have looked over in the parking lot and seen me. Instead they drove carelessly without even glancing over. Still, I wonder what compelled them to drive so fast?

It seems wise now to get home and hide my stolen goods. I was convinced I’ve been alone, but now I know that isn’t true. There’s at least one other person and maybe more.

Now that I know someone is here, I wonder if leaving town is such a good idea. After all, I do have food, water, and my own bed to sleep in here. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before I see someone again. I have the rest of the day to think it over. I wasn’t planning on leaving until tomorrow anyway.

As I drive home, I find myself in a great mood. Seeing that car convinced me everything is going to be all right. I look around everywhere almost anticipating seeing another car. I never do but it doesn’t depress me like it did before. I know it’s only a matter of time before I see one again.

The ride home has the same scenery I’ve become accustomed to. It still feels like those early morning weekend drives to the grocery store when nobody else is awake yet. I pull into my driveway and push the garage door opener again, expecting it to open. When I realize it still doesn’t work, I go through my new garage-opening routine and make sure to close the door so Cujo can’t get in.

The moment I step in the door I realize how exhausted I am. I’m also very hungry; committing felonies seems to work up an appetite.

I do feel bad about breaking the department store’s front door. I’m sure that will cost a lot to repair, not to mention all of the goods I stole. I wonder if I should own up to the crime. After all, I’m going to have to get the trunk repaired and I’m sure they’ll ask questions. If they do find out I did it, I think I have a valid excuse.

I go to the garage and grab some cereal and water. I haven’t been this hungry in my entire life. When I’m done, I lie down and fall asleep.

When I wake up I instinctively try to check the time, forgetting again the power is out. I go to the garage to check the car’s clock. It says it’s just after one o’clock, which means I must have had a really long nap. Now seems better than ever to start siphoning some gas. I’m still not 100% committed to leaving in the morning, but either way I want to have more gas at my disposal. I grab the siphon kit out of my car and bring it inside to figure out how it works.

As smart as I am with computers and programming, I’m a complete moron when dealing with handiwork. The siphon kit doesn’t seem to too tough though, and after a couple minutes, I think I have it set up correctly.

Just to make sure, I grab a couple bowls out of the kitchen and pour a bottle of water into one of them. After just a few pumps, all of the water has transferred from one bowl to the other. Wow, that worked better than expected!

I get an empty gas tank as well as my pellet gun and ax. The pellet gun is something else to figure out before I leave, although, like the syphon, it seems simple. I figure out how to load it then decide to go in the backyard and test it out. One of the neighbor’s trees seems like a good target. I could aim at one of my own trees, but why mess up those when I know the neighbors aren’t home?

I have no clue how powerful this is going to be. I’ve shot a BB gun, which is barely enough to kill a fly. I also shot a rifle once as a kid, which felt hard enough to blast my shoulder off. I’m hoping a pellet gun is closer to the latter, because if Cujo is inches away from attacking I’d rather blow him into pieces than see him smile and keep coming after me.

I take aim – which at this distance should be an easy target even for me – and fire. The kickback is minimal; if a BB gun kills a fly then this feels like it might kill a wasp. What a huge disappointment! It almost feels useless, but just powerful enough that I’ll still take it with me. Ready to go now, I grab my gas jug and head out to commit my next crime.

My street doesn’t have many cars on it but there are a few. The first one is a black Escalade about four houses down. I hope this gas-guzzler still has a little something left in the tank.

I open up the gas tank and put in one end of the tube, placing the other end inside my empty gas jug. I start pumping but nothing comes out. Am I doing this right? I just tested it so I know I am. I switch ends and pump again but that doesn’t make any difference either. I throw up my hands in disgust. I have no idea why it isn’t working.

I think about it from a scientist’s perspective. The only variable that changed was using the car instead of bowls. I’d be a moron if I blamed the issue on the gas jug, so it has to be something with this Escalade causing it to fail. Maybe it doesn’t have any gas, although that seems unlikely.

Then I recall a few years back when gas prices spiked, and more and more cars started developing safety measures so people couldn’t steal gas. My parents’ car had a button you had to press from the inside just to get the gas lid to open. Perhaps Mr. Big Black Escalade has some kind of contraption that prevents me from getting to the gas with a hose. I don’t know how that would be possible, but I decide to test my theory on another car. A few more houses down is an ugly-looking house with high grass and in desperate need of a paint job. My eyes light up though, because I see four vehicles parked in the driveway.

A very old-looking Mustang is the perfect test for my theory. They definitely didn’t have special gas-stealing prevention features back then.

I’ve seen this car making its way up and down the road occasionally, so I’m guessing there’s gas in it. I open up the tank, put the siphon in, and start pumping. Much to my delight, gas starts spewing into my jug. I’m now officially a gas stealer! I pump as fast as I can, trying to get every last drop. The owner will be in for a rude surprise the next time they start their car. I manage to fill up almost the entire five-gallon tank. That’s a free 150 miles tacked onto my drive.

Since I forgot to take more than one gas tank with me, I make my way back home. The smell of the gas — as most people who aren’t afraid to admit would agree — is quite pleasant. I’m not about to start inhaling it for long periods of time, but a little sniff takes my mind off of things for a moment.

When I make it home, I decide to fill Abby’s car up. As I’m pouring, I forget I’m not going to get that nice automatic shutoff you have when you use a gas station nozzle. Before I have time to react, gas starts flooding out and spills onto the floor. Oh well, I guess I really have a full tank now.

I don’t have the muscles to carry all the jugs at once so I decide to take two at a time and make two trips. The first trip goes well, taking the rest of the gas from Mustang man’s other three vehicles. I pretty much wipe out all of the gas from his cars. He will be screwed the next time he wants to go somewhere.

I put the two full gas jugs in my trunk and then grab the other two. Once I get these filled up, I’ll have twenty gallons of spare gas on top of the full tank I have in my car. That’s about nine hundred miles under normal conditions. Considering all the weight of the supplies, I make a conservative estimate of 750 miles – enough to get me halfway across the country.

When I head out this time, I know I’ll have to go down one street to get these two gas jugs filled up all of the way. If I wanted to, I could take a short drive down to Mill Road. I would be sure to find some old, beaten down cars there. Abby and I had the pleasure of making our way there when we first moved into the neighborhood. We went on a nice stroll around the surrounding area just to get a feel for the community and were pleasantly surprised by how many nice houses there were. That was until Mill Road and its community of trailer parks with rebel flags hanging proudly from many of the front porches.

The next street over from my house doesn’t have many cars parked outside, but there are a few. Most of them are parked on the road, which is perfectly legal. I make my way over to the first car I see, a white Ford Taurus. I’m not sure what year it is, but it’s nothing recent so I open the gas cap and get my siphon into position. I’m getting ready to start pumping when something startles me.

“Meow”

I look down and see a black cat that looks very similar to the one I saw yesterday.

“Well hello there, little fella. You scared me half to death.”

The cat rubs its head against my leg. I’m not a cat person but I’ll admit this is cute so I bend down and scratch its head.

“Where did you come from; I didn’t even see you?”

“Meow”

I guess asking a cat a question is going to get a short response. As I continue petting her, a sudden realization occurs to me. I forgot to bring my pellet gun and ax! I knew I felt like I was forgetting something. I set them down next to the car when I was filling up my tank and never picked them back up. How could I be so stupid?

I debate whether I should go back or hurry up and get these tanks filled.

“What do you think I should do?” I ask the cat and don’t even get a response this time.

I decide to hurry up and finish this jug and come back to fill the other one up later. I go back to pumping the gas from the Taurus while my little feline friend watches. I get the entire five-gallon jug filled without the car going empty. I’m starting to get more anxious that Cujo could be right around the corner.

Since I’m already here, I might as well fill up as much as I can from the Taurus into the other jug.

“No offense, but if Cujo comes I hope he’s much more interested in you,” I say looking down at my new friend. “I don’t feel like having another sleepover at a neighbor’s house.” I pump faster and faster, but it’s taking forever this time. My anxiety levels are through the roof. I really don’t want to see Cujo again.

“Come one. Come on. Come on!” When the jug is half full I decide I can’t take it another second. I pull the siphon out of the tank, screw the cap back on the gas jug, and make my way back home. I can always drive here — or elsewhere — later when I’m equipped with some protection.

I speed walk as fast as one can while carrying this much weight in each hand. I look back to see if my feline friend is coming but she’s sniffing what is likely a few drops of gas I spilled on the road. Can’t blame her.

If I wasn’t in such a hurry I might consider taking her home with me. I could use a friend right now, even if it is someone with only one word in their vocabulary.

As I make it onto my street, I look to see if there’s any sign of Cujo. I can just imagine him coming from far in the distance the same way he did yesterday, but he’s nowhere to be found. My heart rate still doesn’t slow any until I pull the garage door up, take one final look, and close it from the inside. The light from the outside fades away and leaves me in darkness. I am safe once again.

During the next few hours I face near-uncontrollable boredom. It’s amazing how slow time goes when there’s nothing to distract you. I make frequent trips from the couch to the car to check the time and, to my astonishment, what feels like hours ends up being only about thirty minutes.

With every trip I make to the car, I also grab some form of a snack whether it’s cereal or some crackers. I think the only reason I’m eating is because of sheer boredom. At this rate I’m going to run out of food by the end of the week.

When five o’clock rolls around I try to think of something productive to do for the next few hours before the sun goes down. Nothing comes to mind so I go to the car and grab one of the books I picked up at the department store. I read for about twenty minutes but find it hard to concentrate. My head is swirling with thoughts about what I should do next.

As boring as these last few hours have been, I think it’s helped me make my decision about what to do tomorrow. I can’t imagine sitting around all day with nothing to do, so I’m definitely leaving here. I don’t know what’s in store for me hundreds of miles away but it has to be better than this.

I grab my map and start planning my new trip. Since it’s fall in Ohio and getting colder by the day, it’s a no-brainer to go somewhere warm. The first ideas that come to mind are Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Florida; Alabama; and Los Angeles.

I’ve been to Myrtle Beach a million times for family vacations and seem to know my way around there.

Florida is about a fifteen-hour drive, but is due South and the weather is perfect year-round. Alabama also has nice weather, and to get to it from Ohio you only have to take one highway for about ninety percent of the trip. With no GPS, that’s a strong selling point.

Then there’s LA. It’s very far from Ohio, Two or three days of driving, but it has the best weather I’ve ever experienced — seventies and sunny every day.

I can’t go wrong with any location, and each place is just a final destination point in case the entire planet has disappeared. The thought makes me laugh; there’s no way that could be true. I won’t be far into my drive before I run into someone who can explain what’s going on. At the very least, I can ask for a phone so I can call Abby to make sure she’s all right.

Oh Abby, how I miss her. I wonder where she is and worry if she’s found somewhere safe to be. I know she’s probably scared to death and I ask God, if he does exist, to keep Abby safe.

I decide to sleep on my decision. When I wake up, I’m sure my subconscious will have analyzed all the options and have a final decision ready for me.

In the meantime, I pick up my book, which is about time travel, and begin reading again until the sun goes down. Time travel seems to be an interesting topic to read right now. What I wouldn’t give to travel through time in this very moment. I’d rather be in any other point in my life than this.

I could continue reading with the flashlight, but instead I think about how strange these past couple of days have been. How strange it was to see that black car and the cat.

I have a good feeling tomorrow will be the end of all this craziness. I’ll make my journey into the unknown and find a town filled with people who know what’s going on.

Tomorrow all my anxiety will end — I hope.

Chapter 10

When I wake up I see the rising sun, which means I must have slept well. During this time of year I’m usually up a couple hours before sunrise.

During the night, my subconscious must have been hard at work, because I remember images of Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, and California on my mind.

Just as I’d hoped, I now know where I’m going to go. I wish I could say that I have total confidence in my decision, but I don’t. I keep telling myself it doesn’t matter because, wherever I go, I’ll only get halfway before I start seeing people.

I laugh when I think about my decision to go to Mobile, Alabama. Seriously, of all the places I could go I decide on Ala-freakin’-bama. The decision makes sense for me, though, because it’s warm and incredibly easy to get to. The drive there stays on one highway almost the entire way, so I can’t get lost. It will also be easy to take an exit and explore towns whenever I see fit.

I’ve made the drive before with Abby for a Caribbean cruise that we both enjoyed. I loved that it was cheap, and she liked meeting new people. If we ever won the lottery, I think we would just take cruises every week. They’re about as cheap as living in a house and the food is amazing.

Going to Mobile allows me to get over eight hundred miles away from home as fast as possible. If I can’t find someone after driving that far, then I’ll know something is really messed up.

I eat breakfast and think about anything else I might need on the trip. One thing I’d absolutely love to do is take a shower. I feel disgusting and am starting to smell. Not only does the smell bother me, but I also just don’t feel well. Deodorant only helps so much.

If I happen to make it all the way to Alabama today, the first thing I’m going to do is find water to take a bath, even if it means going in the ocean. I grab a few bars of soap, shampoo, and all of the other toiletries I’ll need.

I’ve been brushing my teeth on a regular basis using some bottled water in the sink. I’m still surprised every time I use the toilet and it works. I keep waiting for a huge explosion to happen when I push down on the flusher but it never does. If I get to the point where I have to do my business outside, I don’t think I’ll mind. As long as I have toilet paper, I can squat down.

My time travel book makes me wish I could go back a few thousand years to see how people survived without all of life’s current necessities. I wouldn’t mind going a few thousand years into the future too, just to see what that’s like, but that’s a whole other topic I won’t get into.

I load the car up with last-minute items I’ve thought of and consider taking my golf clubs with me. If I’m going to be in warm weather I might as well enjoy it. I settle for a pair of swimming trunks instead, which should more than keep me occupied when I get there.

When all is said and done my car is packed with stuff. The trunk, backseat, and now front passenger seat don’t have one inch of space left. I couldn’t fit my golf clubs even if I wanted to. I can’t think of anything essential I’m forgetting, and anxiety starts to build inside me. The fear of the unknown is a scary thing.

I back the car out of the garage and take one last look at my house. I smile when I think of all the great memories in here. As I drive off, I wonder when I’ll make it back here.

Making my way through this empty town is starting to feel normal. It still has that polished look to it like everything is as it should be, but I know inside the shop doors is nothing but emptiness.

When I looked at the map earlier, I wrote down some directions I think will get me there in the most optimal way possible. I tried the GPS, hoping it would work, but there’s no signal. Maybe my luck will change when I get a couple hundred miles out.

A rush of excitement builds in me when I reach the highway. I can almost imagine the cars passing by. Do I honk at the first one I see and try to get them to pull over? I laugh at how crazy I’d think someone was if they did that to me. Imagine someone driving up next to you honking and signaling for you to get off the road. I’d be reaching for my phone to call the police.

If I do see cars soon, I decide it would be best if I pulled into a rest stop to strike up a conversation there. It would be a strange conversation, no doubt. I’d have to work this into the conversation… “Yeah, everyone has disappeared within forty-five miles of my house and I’m trying to find any form of civilization.”

My route takes me west for a few hours to reach I-65. I’ve gone this direction many times before, when Abby and I go to Cincinnati a few times a year to get away.

As always, I get the feeling I’m forgetting something. It takes a while, but I remember what it is when I reach down to itch my leg – bandages and Neosporin.

I’ve swapped out bandages a handful of times since my little meltdown with Abby’s office door. Of course, I can more than survive today without a bandage, since I’ll be in the car and it won’t get infected. With no doctors around, I need to be extra careful.

Something else I wish I had brought is my CD collection. With no radio, things are pretty quiet and boring. Abby has a few CDs stashed around her car but they are dreadful. I’d rather sit in silence than hear sappy love songs.

I’m not a big music person, but like everyone else my age I have thousands of songs on my phone. It doesn’t matter how old I get, I always listen to the songs that were playing when I was in high school and college. My parents do the same thing, always listening to music from the ’60s and ’70s. I guess we all like to re-live the days when we were young and rebellious.

I’m about an hour outside of Cincinnati when I see a long bit of construction. I don’t know about other parts of the country, but driving on Ohio’s highways is a never-ending battle with construction areas. By the time a road is finally built, they tear it down and start re-building it again.

My wife and I haven’t been this way in several months, and large concrete blocks are set up for what seems like miles on the left side of the road.

I’m in this construction zone for about five minutes before I see it, a car headed towards me on the other side of the highway. The concrete blocks leave no way for me to get over unless I find a gap up ahead. I slam my foot on the pedal hoping to find such an opportunity. I begin honking my horn too, just in case they aren’t paying attention. It’s hard to see over there because of the concrete blocks, but just as we are getting ready to pass each other I see it’s another black car. It looks similar to the car I saw yesterday, maybe not quite the same but similar.

I try to get a look at the driver but we go by so quickly I’m not able to see them. Without being able to get over, my only chance of heading in that direction is if there’s an exit ramp. There hasn’t been one in a while, so I think one should be close.

Even though I’ve been on this road several times, I have no memory of where the exits are. I speed up even faster hoping to find any opportunity to turn around, but it never comes.

After fifteen miles, I finally approach the exit ramp I desperately wanted, but decide it’s no longer worth it to go back. They are long gone by now. I remain optimistic I’ll see another car up ahead though.

It turns out my optimism was wrong. I never see another car in the more than seventy miles left to Cincinnati. This large city, which usually has thousands of cars on the highway and thousands more driving through the streets, is completely deserted. I guess I should start expecting this, but it still has me in disbelief.

I’ve seen my tiny little hometown deserted, and I’ve seen Chesterfield, a large city in itself, wiped out. Cincinnati, though, is one of the top five largest cities in Ohio, and probably up there on the US city population list as well. Yet, everywhere I look I don’t see a single human being. This kicks things up to a whole new level of weird.

I look at my gas gauge and see I still have more than half a tank left. Of course, I don’t really need to worry about running out of gas, because I have four gas jugs sitting in the trunk of my car. I can pull over at any moment and refuel.

I consider driving through the downtown area, but I can see enough of what I need from the highway. There’s nobody here; everyone has packed up and gone. Wherever they went, I hope I’m headed in the same direction. Are they going to Mobile, Alabama too?

After driving a while longer, I reach the bridge that takes you over the Ohio River and into Kentucky. I admit I’m worried that I’ll somehow burst into flames the moment I leave Ohio. With the way these past couple days have gone, nothing would surprise me.

Is it just Ohio that’s missing everyone? I can’t think of a reason why an entire state would need to be evacuated. If that was indeed the case then why was I left out? No, it couldn’t be that.

When I drive over the state line into Kentucky, I don’t burst into flames. I’ll have to save death via spontaneous combustion for another day. I think about the last time I left the state and realize it’s been far too long. Abby and I enjoy traveling, but we haven’t been out of the state since our trip to Italy almost a year ago. Seeing state borders brings back a flood of good memories. The only time I’ve been out of Ohio is for vacations or doing something else fun.

After driving a while longer I realize I’m starting to get hungry. Since there are no fast food options today I pull over to the side of the highway. In the backseat I have everything to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as well as crackers and a bottle of water. You’ve never lived until you’ve eaten lunch by yourself in a car parked on the side of the highway.

When I’m done, I get out to stretch my legs. I take my fully loaded pellet gun and step out of the car. It’s sunny and cool, and I look forward to the hot and humid weather I’m expecting in Mobile.

To keep myself entertained I take some practice shots at a nearby stop sign. I seem to have a natural gift with this thing. I look around for birds or any other moving objects but don’t see anything. I could go exploring in the woods, but I don’t think I’m ready for that much adventure. The last thing I need is a run-in with a bear when I only have a pellet gun for defense and zero tree-climbing skills.

Instead, I shoot the sign a few more times and, once I’ve had my fun, head back to the car and drive off. I think about anything I can do to make this trip a little more enjoyable. After all, I can do whatever I want to anything I want. If I had the desire to break into a bank and take wads of cash, I could. If I wanted to stop at a liquor store and start drinking and driving, I could do that too with no fear of getting pulled over.

Thinking about it, alcohol would make this trip more enjoyable. I’m not a big drinker but from my experience alcohol makes everything more fun.

Other options I have for the anarchist in me are burning down buildings and stealing sports cars. These are things I would never do in a million years under normal circumstances, but with nobody here, why not? Could be fun.

I decide I’m going to have some adventure in the next town I find. All of my crimes up to this point have been out of necessity; it’s about time I make the most of my unique situation.

Sure enough, almost as if by fate, I see a “Cracker Barrel 2 Miles Ahead” sign. Cracker Barrel is a little restaurant that was a requirement for all of my family trips. I have no plans of going there today though; it’s only an indicator of a town ahead.

I start getting excited like a little kid who sees the entrance sign to Disney for the first time. Moments pass and I take the exit ramp to a town with infinite possibilities. The Cracker Barrel is just off the road. This restaurant chain, like McDonald’s, always seems to have the best locations right off the highway.

I look across the street and, next to the exit ramp back onto the highway, there is a gas station with a carry out. My eyes light up. This store looks very inviting for my destructive purposes.

I don’t even bother going up to the next traffic light to make a U-turn. I drive right through the grass and a flowerbed that this quaint little town has so happily provided to welcome its guests.

I look in my rearview mirror but can’t see what kind of damage I caused because of my dented trunk. I pull into the gas station and park the car right next to the mini-mart’s front door. I reach for the ax, but decide the pellet gun might be more fun.

When I get out of the car, I stand far enough back so the glass doesn’t fly back and hit me. I hold the gun like Al Pacino does at the end of Scarface, shout, “Say hello to my little friend,” and start blasting. This feels cool until I see my dinky pellet gun hasn’t even put a crack in the window. I take several more shots, trying to hit the exact same spot and eventually I do crack through the glass. The destruction is a rush – every little boy’s dream.

I turn around and shoot at several empty gas pumps, hoping to cause a massive explosion but instead it barely makes a dent. I need a bigger gun!

I make my way into the mini-mart, which I notice was already unlocked and see a wall filled with different types of liquor. There’s not much room in the car, so I just grab a couple bottles of vodka and Jack Daniels. No reason to be greedy; these two bottles are enough to keep me drunk for a week.

I open up the Jack and take a swig straight from the bottle, redneck style. It burns my throat and makes my eyes water; the taste reminds me of college. Looking around, I find some plastic cups and a couple liters of Coca-Cola. Jack and Coke has always been one of my favorite drinks.

In the back there’s beer. I catch my eye on a forty-ounce bottle of King Cobra, the nastiest beer you’ll ever have but the beer of choice for poor college kids. I open the bottle and take a swig, then almost immediately spit it out. King Cobra is bad any time, but warm King Cobra when you’re sober is just plain disgusting. I throw the bottle across the room and to my surprise it doesn’t even break.

This gives me the idea to grab some beer bottles and use them as target practice. I line up a six-pack on the counter and fire at each one. The pellet gun seems just powerful enough to break the glass, and I connect on six out of six.

I look around to see if there’s anything else I need or want. There are tons of cigars, but I’m not a smoker so it doesn’t interest me. I grab a few energy drinks in case I want to stay up late to drive. Not sure why I would, after all I have an endless amount of free time. No need to be in a rush to get somewhere.

I put all of my new goodies in the passenger seat and decide, just for fun, to burn the place down. Doing so would look great on my crime resume. I go back in and grab a lighter. The floor is already dripping with alcohol, the perfect fire accelerator. I’m not brave enough to reach down and light it, so I decide to toss it and run before I blow myself up.

I stand by the door, give the lighter a toss, and then run away as fast as I can. When I get about ten feet from the door, I look back to see the destruction but instead there’s nothing. The air must have knocked the flame out when I threw it. That never happens in the movies!

Perhaps my conscience is starting to catch up to me because my excitement for burning the place down immediately fades. I head back to the car and start making myself a drink. I put half Jack Daniels and half Coke into a plastic cup and start chugging. Then I make my way back onto the highway, headed for my next adventure.

Chapter 11

I finish the rest of my massive alcohol concoction, and it only takes fifteen minutes before I’m feeling tipsy. OK, maybe this was a bad idea. I can see why driving while intoxicated is illegal. I’m drunk enough that it’s hard to stay in my lane, but still sober enough to realize I’m doing it. I put my empty cup in the cup holder. My eyes are off the road for only a second, but when I look back up I’m inches from the guardrail.

I swerve back to the left, fish-tailing myself back on the road. In that instant, I immediately sober back up. Totaling Abby’s car is the last thing I need.

I slow down and stop the car in the middle of the highway. I wonder for a moment why I’m this intoxicated; usually one cup of Jack and Coke doesn’t have this much effect on me. Then I realize I only ate part of my peanut better and jelly sandwich. I’m drinking on a near-empty stomach, a recipe for disaster. A quarter of a bottle of whiskey doesn’t help either though.

I get out of the car and try walking it off. “Time is the only way to sober up” I can hear my high school health teacher saying. Taking a walk is the best indicator I know for how drunk I really am.

In this case, I’m not college-frat-boy-drunk but I shouldn’t be operating heavy machinery. Cops aren’t around to pull me over, but I can still get myself killed driving in this condition.

I walk around for a few more minutes but things are starting to spin. This, I know, usually precedes excessive vomiting.

I stand up straight, trying everything I can to keep things down. I close my eyes, but even then I can still feel the world spinning. I go back to the car and sit down hoping this awful feeling goes away. I close my eyes again, which seems to help some of my nausea go away. Before I know it, I pass out asleep.

When I wake I feel groggy, not rejuvenated like after a good nap. I do feel more sober though. I get out of the car and go for a little walk to test this theory, which proves correct. While I still don’t feel the best, I’m good enough to drive again, so that’s exactly what I do.

I look at my gas gauge and see I have under a half tank left. There’s a “Louisville 86 Miles” sign, which will make a good stopping point to fill up. I’ve driven through Louisville a couple of times before but I can’t recall much. I know they have a basketball team but that’s about it — Kentucky loves their basketball.

The drive seems to take forever. Not only am I alone on the highway, but also the scenery is dull and I still have nothing to listen to. I try the radio stations again, but when I push the “seek” button it’s a continuous scroll through all stations without stopping. Even when I manually go through the stations, I don’t even get a hint of white noise.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go away for a weekend by myself – just lock myself up in some cabin with no TV or Internet. I’ve always thought that would be some kind of serene experience where you can reflect on life and dream of the future. After having lived through something similar these past couple days, I now know how boring and unsatisfying it really is. Maybe it would be different if I knew I had a life to go back to, but now I’m unsure if anyone is even out there. I’ve driven 158 miles with no sign of life other than a car that didn’t even bother looking to the other side of the road.

I look down at that bottle of Jack Daniels, which looks like the perfect anecdote to numb these depressing feelings. I pull the car over and pour myself another drink, this time using a lot less alcohol. I’m depressed but not stupid.

Even though I feel sober now, and drinking again doesn’t seem like a great idea, I think need it. One drink, I say, should get me through these next fifty miles until I reach Louisville. Once I’m there I’ll at least have some excitement and sense of adventure, something to take my mind off the situation.

As bad as it is to drink and drive, the alcohol does make me feel better. Jack will be able to cheer me up through all of this. It’s like how people feel coffee gets them through the morning; that is how I feel Jack and Coke can get me through this depressing day.

The next fifty miles are much better. I’m still bored but the alcohol has lifted my spirits. Seeing the Louisville exit signs cheers me up too.

Since Louisville is a fairly big city, I think it’s wise to drive around to try and find life. I’m not in any rush to get to Mobile; I have food, and I can sleep in the car if I have to.

I remember watching a movie once with Abby called “War of the Worlds” where Tom Cruise gets chased around by aliens for what felt like hours. Everywhere he went there were aliens, but at the end of the movie he met up with his ex-wife. She lived in Boston, which seemed to be unaffected by the entire worldwide alien Apocalypse. After watching that, Abby and I always said we would go straight to Boston if aliens ever attacked the US.

I wish I had thought of this earlier, because I might have actually considered going to Boston for this very reason, even though it’s cold there this time of year. If I make it all the way to Mobile without seeing anyone, I’ll probably go to Florida. It’s warm and beautiful there when there isn’t a hurricane. Once I get tired of Florida, and if for some reason I still haven’t seen anyone by then, it’s crazy but I think I’ll go to Boston.

I make my way down a long exit ramp that takes me into downtown Louisville. Needless to say I’m not met with an entourage of cars. The highway was a pretty clear indication of what was to come – a ghost town.

Everything looks normal, other than the lack of cars driving and nonfunctioning stoplights. There are a few cars parked in metered spots on the road, but where their former drivers are, I wish I knew.

That’s something I can’t wrap my head around. If there were an evacuation of people, I would think every car would be gone, not to mention the highways would be lined with cars trying to leave. That isn’t what has happened these past couple days though. There’s nobody around town, and nobody on the highways either. Where could everyone possibly have gone?

I drive around making sure to be aware of what general direction the highway is in. I have a compass at home that I got for Christmas one year. I thought it was a lame gift at the time, but it sure would come in handy now if I had thought about bringing it. My smart phone has a compass app, but my battery died a long time ago and I don’t have a car phone charger for it.

Just as soon as this thought occurs to me, I see a store up ahead called “Electrodes,” which looks to be a huge electronics store. Jackpot!

I pull into the big empty parking lot and park in my favorite spot right by the door. I get out of the car without grabbing any artillery and see if I can pull the sliding glass doors open manually. My attempt is embarrassing; I’m such a weakling.

I go back to the car and grab my ax, my favorite door smashing instrument, then stand about ten yards away and give it my best baseball swing at the door. When it hits the door, I see something fly off but the glass isn’t even cracked. When I go to pick up the ax, I see a huge chunk of the wooden handle broke off. “Piece of shit ax!” I guess you get what you pay for. It’s still usable, I just have to make sure I don’t get a splinter lodged in my hand every time I hold the handle.

I reach into the car for my second favorite method of breaking and entering — my pellet gun. Since I’m now in Kentucky, I really should start keeping my eye out for gun stores. I’d think they would have drive-thru gun places on every corner the same way Ohio has liquor stores.

It takes several shots, but eventually I get the glass to crack and break through. The key I’ve found is to shoot at the same spot multiple times until it gives in.

This door has the most durable glass I’ve seen so far, which makes sense being an electronics store. I have to chip away at it with the ax, which I find to be a much better option than using my foot. I’m not the brightest of the bunch, but I learn from my mistakes. My leg is a scabbed reminder of my earlier stupidity.

I grab my gun and my flashlight from the car and head into the store, leaving the ax on the ground beside the door. Being the nerd that I am, my eyes light up when I see this huge store filled with electronics I can pick and choose from.

The only thing I came here for is a car phone charger for my phone and some CDs to make the ride more enjoyable. The car adapter for my smart phone is easy to find so I make my way over to the CDs. The selection isn’t nearly as big as it used to be before MP3 players, but there are still some options. I have a wide music taste, as long as it’s not Abby’s sappy love music.

I take some Metallica, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, and a nice overpriced collection of Beatles albums. It’s starting to get hard to carry everything so I make my way back to the car to unload.

That’s when I drop everything I’m carrying to the ground. Standing at the doorway, with its razor-sharp teeth snarling at me, is a big black dog. It looks very similar to my Cujo – same breed, roughly the same size.

I slowly reach down for my gun, making sure to keep my eyes on him. He’s snarling but not coming toward me yet. I lift the gun off the ground and take the safety off as quietly as possible. The clicking of the safety, though, seems to set him off and he runs towards me.

Realizing I don’t have a clear shot, I look for somewhere safe I can go. Right in front of me is a large shelf holding boxes of software programs. I put my foot up on one of the shelves and climb up. The top has about a one-foot ledge for me to stand and walk on.

The dog is barking with fury as it tries to climb up the shelf. His first attempts fail as he falls back down. However, this dog is clever. The next time he jumps he realizes he needs to pull himself up with the shelves like I did.

Surprised by my survival instincts, I take the butt end of my gun and start hitting him with it until he falls back down. This angers him more and, now that I’m this close, I can look in his eyes. I am almost certain this is the exact same dog from Ohio. How can this be though? There’s no way Cujo could have walked over two hundred miles to get here.

With Cujo on the ground, I get my gun into position and aim. He’s moving so fast it’s hard for me to get a clear shot, but I pull the trigger anyway.

I miss.

He gets a good jump off of one of the shelves and takes a snap at my arm, barely missing. I take a swing at him with the gun but also miss. It’s enough to cause him to fall back to the ground.

If only I had my ax with me. Why did I leave it by the door?

The dog, sensing my next shot will be more successful, starts running away. I take aim and, without much thought, pull the trigger. I see him flinch from the blast as he scurries behind another shelf. I’m not 100% sure, but I think I hit him. It may just be a wimpy pellet gun, but it’s still powerful enough to hurt when it shoots you.

I keep my gun aimed and ready for his next attack. The shelf is just in front of a wall which means he has to come out on either the left or the right side; there’s nowhere else to go.

A minute passes but I don’t even hear him move. Did I kill him? Did I shoot the bastard and he’s lying behind the shelf bleeding to death?

Forget what I said about remorse, I want this damn mutt dying a miserable death right now. I hate dogs in my neighborhood and this only reinforces that hatred. All they do is bark non-stop if you get anywhere near them, and attack you if their owner leaves them unleashed.

Five more minutes pass and I still hear no signs of him. Then ten minutes.

I can’t take the anticipation any longer. After wiping the sweat from my forehead and making sure my gun is loaded, I climb down. I walk toward the left corner of the shelf, gun aimed and ready. With one deep breath, I look around the corner hoping to see a dead dog lying on the ground. Instead, I see nothing. No blood, no hair, no signs of him. Where did he go?

Fear shoots through me; how could I have missed him? The only time I took my eyes off the shelf was when I was checking that my gun had ammo in it and even then my eyes were away for no more than a second or two. I have no clue where he could have gone; he should be right here.

I stay by the walls and walk sideways, that way he can’t come up to me from behind. Listening intently for any sounds, I make it all the way to the front corner of the store but still don’t see him. Making the turn, I sidestep my way to the front door.

I see my ax, take one quick look back to make sure he’s not there, and then reach down and grab it. With my gun now in my left hand and the ax in my right, I still feel unsafe even though the ax allows me to get at least one good swing at him if he gets close.

Standing here in the open I know I need to act fast. I could make a run for the car or I could go back and get my CDs and phone charger.

This seems like a no-brainer – safety first right? I really want what I came here for though. The CDs would help my sanity and the phone charger would let me know if my cell service is working yet. If it is, I could call Abby and get out of all this mess.

Deciding I don’t want this little trip to be for nothing, I sidestep my way back to where I was before. If I were being filmed in a movie right now, I would look like the most uncool hero ever. This is about survival though, not fashion points.

I make it all the way back to where I thought Cujo would be lying dead and I see the CD’s and phone charger on the floor. I’m just going to make a run for it, grab everything I can, and run out the door. If Cujo attacks, I hope I’ll be able to fend him off with my ax enough to get to the car.

Thinking there’s no better time than the present, I run for it. With the gun and ax in my left hand, I start picking up the charger and CDs, stuffing some under my left arm and the rest into my right hand. Wasting no time, I run as fast as I can to the car. I see laptops and HD cameras tempting me to reach for them, but they aren’t worth risking my life.

I make it out the door and to the car where I drop everything and look to see if Cujo is coming after me. I don’t see him anywhere, but I know he has to be close. My gut tells me he’s somewhere in the store hiding behind one of the shelves.

I open the driver-side door and start throwing everything in. The last things I grab are my gun and ax before I get in the car and close the door.

I don’t know why but my first instinct is to look in the backseat to see if he somehow made it in here, but he didn’t. If he comes now, I’ll gladly run him over. I’d even provide the courtesy of turning around and driving him over a few more times just for good measure. In scary movies, I hate when the hero shoots the villain one time and expects them to be dead. That’s not going to happen in my story, I’ll put every last bullet I have in him.

I turn the car on, taking one last look for a sight of him, and drive away.

Chapter 12

“Well that was more adventurous than I was expecting,” I say to myself as I pull out of the parking lot.

I know I need to fill my tank up soon, but there’s no way I’m doing it until I get far away from where Cujo might be. I drive back to the main road keeping an eye out for anything else worth investigating.

I have food, booze, clothes, and now CD’s and a phone charger — what more do I need? I do some quick calculations in my head and realize I’m not going to be able to make it all the way to Mobile today. My weak drunken moment and my bout with Cujo #2 are to thank for that.

I stop the car in the middle of the road and pull out the map. I’ve highlighted the route I plan on taking, so I look for a good stopping point ahead. Since I’m not going to make it to Mobile, I might as well take my time and enjoy the ride.

It looks like Nashville is another couple hundred miles away, which means I can make it in about three hours of driving. That would make my ETA somewhere around eight o’clock. I don’t enjoy driving in the dark, and I imagine it will be even more difficult since none of the street lights will be working – unless those use solar power. I’d like to make it all the way to Nashville today but I can pull over at any time if I get tired. If I give myself some extra time I can even try to find a hotel and a room to break into.

Since I’m still in town, I start looking for any nearby gun stores. Besides protection from Cujo and Cujo #2, a real gun would be a lot of fun right now. My pellet gun isn’t doing it for me anymore. It’s like when you build a tolerance for a drug like caffeine. At first it only takes one cup to make your heart beat out of your chest, but after a week or two the same amount doesn’t satisfy you any more.

This is how I feel with my pellet gun. Sure, it can crack through some windows and scare off Cujo #2. But now I want to blast through windows — and Cujo’s head.

It also sounds fun to just go shoot stuff. I look around and see buildings, cars, and other great target practice items. I also would like to get ahold of some dynamite. Do they have that at gun stores? I’m not sure but I know it’s something you don’t pick up at Wal-Mart.

On second thought, I probably shouldn’t be messing with dynamite. If I’m careful with a gun, the worst that can happen is a shoulder injury or having debris come back and hit me. With dynamite, I could easily blow myself up, especially considering I have no clue what I’m doing. I don’t even know where to buy the stuff!

Again, I wish I had Internet access. All I would have to do is type “guns” into Google and it would automatically figure out my location and display any stores in the area.

My generation takes the Internet for granted. We’ve had it our entire lives, and I’m starting to get a taste of how much more difficult simple things like this are without it. How did people even find stores back then, look in the phone book? I honestly have no idea.

I reach for my new phone charger to see what happens when I plug in my phone. Who knows, I could get lucky and be able to make a Google search or call someone. I start to get excited about the possibility, but remind myself it isn’t very likely to come true. First, I have to figure out how to even open this stupid thing without cutting myself to death. Can we please learn to ship products in something other than impossible-to-open hard plastic?

After repeated attempts, I get out of the car and, gripping my ax, start beating down on the corner of the package like I’m chopping wood. After a few swings, I’ve cut off enough of it to get the charger out. I then plug my phone in and wait a few seconds to see what happens.

Nothing does, but then I realize I need to have the car on in order for it to work. When I do, my phone lights up and I say a silent prayer for it to start working. Life would be so much easier if it did. I wait and wait for it to find a signal and change the “No Signal” display to at least one bar.

After a few minutes go by, I know it’s not going to happen and I throw the phone down. I risked my life for the small chance of getting a signal, and now I realize that was all for nothing. The only thing I got out of it was a near heart attack and a few Beatles CDs. It makes me so angry and depressed I want to drive full speed into the nearest building.

Since I don’t have any Internet access and I’m in a big and unfamiliar city, my hopes of finding a gun store seem unlikely. As much as I would like a real gun, I don’t see any sense in getting lost and wasting gas while I look. If I’m going to make it to Nashville today, I need to leave now. I’m sure there will be plenty of gun stores when I get there.

After driving away from Cujo, I’ve gotten a little side-tracked from where the highway is. My map doesn’t have a close up of the city, but I know if I stay in one general direction I’ll hit the outer belt eventually. As luck would have it, I see a sign for I-65. I have to re-check the map because I thought I would have to get on another highway before merging onto I-65, but sure enough it runs straight down the middle of Louisville.

After following the signs, I make it onto the highway. I never plan on going to Louisville again. Now that I know where I’m going, it’s as good a time as any to pull out my new CD collection.

I have to start with the Beatles – the sticker price was $130, after all. I got it for an absolute steal.

I’m not a die-hard Beatles fan by any means but, like most people, I’ve heard their music on the radio and know they had a million good songs. I grab the first CD and put it in. I wasn’t expecting it, but hearing sound of any kind is really quite soothing. Over the last three days, the only things I’ve heard are myself muttering curse words and Cujos #1 and #2 telling me how much they want to eat me. Hearing human voices singing makes me remember people again – real-life human beings who talk and laugh and sing.

A few days ago I never would have believed how depressing it is to be alone. I thought I might actually enjoy it to some degree; how wrong I was.

Listening to the Beatles makes me think most of all about Abby. I know it sounds sappy like the music she listens to, but I love her dearly and miss her like crazy. I wonder how different these past few days would have been if it were me and her together, instead of just me.

Where would we be now, and what would we be doing? Would I have convinced her to head south instead of staying home? I think it would have been a tough sell to go to Mobile. That option probably wouldn’t even have come up. My guess is she would have wanted to go to California, which I would have been more than happy to do. It’s so beautiful there.

Now that I think about it, Abby brings up LA a lot. She doesn’t directly say she wants to move there or anything, but she makes comments about what’s going on there and how amazing it would be to live there. Abby is a very passive person who would never come out and say she wants to move, but I think she does.

Three days ago I never would have considered moving because we both have safe, secure jobs and our cost of living is quite low. It’s so easy to maintain the status quo, but the winters are awful in Ohio and there isn’t much excitement around here.

Breaking into homes and buildings changes a person though, and I feel I’m already more adventurous and daring. Packing up everything and moving to California seems like such a small risk now. Yeah, it might be tough for a few weeks or months. In the short term, it won’t be as good as what we have now. But life is a marathon, not a sprint. If moving to California would bring more happiness in the long run, then that’s exactly what we should do.

I don’t know where Abby is now, but whenever I see her again, I’m going to ask her if she wants to move and if she says yes, do it. After all, the only reason we are in Ohio is because we grew up here, went to school here, and naturally found jobs here. The world is a gigantic place, and there’s no reason we should be limited to the one small area in which we grew up. It doesn’t have to be California; it could be anywhere. We could move out of the country if we wanted to. The worst that could happen is it not working out and we come home and beg our bosses to take us back. We both have family who would support us no matter what we do. As long as I’m with her, I know I’ll be happy.

Wow, listening to the Beatles is powerful stuff! It’s only been twenty minutes and I’m already making plans to change my entire future. No wonder all those hippies were so moved by them. The drugs might have had something to do with that too.

Driving through Kentucky isn’t as bad as driving through Ohio. It could be the music that’s entertaining me, or it could be that these unknown roads provide a sense of adventure. Either way, I’m much happier than I was earlier with all the outbursts. Even though I’m usually calm and collected, I have weak moments like anybody else.

It’s beginning to get dark out, so I look at my gas gauge and see it’s less than a quarter tank. I’m getting hungry too, so now seems like a good time to stop and refuel both the car and myself. I could also use a potty break. Up to this point, I’ve only moved my bowels in the bathroom. I could hold it another fifteen or twenty minutes until I come to a rest stop but what’s the fun in that?

I anticipated this problem ahead of time and brought toilet paper. I’ve heard too many stories about people going into the wilderness and accidentally using poison ivy to cleanse themselves. I’ve only had poison ivy once (on my hand) and can’t imagine how miserable it would be to have your downstairs area itch like that.

I pull the car over and grab a roll from the trunk. If I were proper, I would walk over in the grass and spread my fertilizer but that wouldn’t be fun. Instead, I take a squat right in the middle of the highway.

I wonder how many people in the history of the human race have done what I’m doing now. It probably isn’t the first time; I grew up as a teenage boy and know the kind of immature and gross things boys do. As busy as highways are, though, I can’t think this sort of thing happens too often.

When I look down, I see I came a little too close for comfort, so I take my pants completely off to avoid a real mess. Once I’m done, I use the toilet paper and throw it on the ground. Surprisingly, I feel guiltier about littering than I do taking a dump in the middle of the road. I despise littering and think it’s one of the laziest, most immature things a person can do. I don’t want to pick up my dirty toilet paper, though, so I get over my no littering policy just this once.

I put the remaining toilet paper back in the trunk and start filling up my tank. I get through one full jug and most of the way through the other before it spills over. Some of it gets on my hands and, although I love the smell of gas, this is the last thing I want to happen right before I’m about to eat.

I planned on making a sandwich, but I don’t feel like touching my food now. I grab a bottle of water and try to rinse my hands, but even soap and hot water isn’t enough to get rid of this smell.

With that, I get back in the car and grab a box of cereal. I’m not completely fed up with cereal yet, although I’m getting close. How I would love a nice grilled chicken sandwich and fries – or a big fat steak – right now. I turn the car back on and see the gas gauge points to full. I have more than enough gas to get to Nashville now.

In five miles I see a rest area I could have stopped at had I waited just a few more minutes. But then the next person driving on the highway wouldn’t have a nice surprise on their tires.

I have no reason to stop now, so I continue on and decide to take a break from the Beatles; I’ve had enough life-changing epiphanies for one day. I put in one of the Metallica CD’s, a band I loved listening to growing up. It’s a miracle I turned out normal with all the heavy death metal I used to listen to.

The darkness comes fast as I make my way toward Nashville. I didn’t think about it, but since I’m a little farther west I have a few more minutes of daylight than I would have if I were in Ohio.

I had wondered if the highway lights were all solar powered, and I learn that this is not the case. It’s really dark out, and I have to go below the speed limit to stay on the road. Driving at night makes me tired, and listening to Metallica only helps so much. I open up an energy drink, thankful I thought to grab them at the mini-mart earlier. The taste is awful — just as I remember them. I only get through about half of it before I can’t stand the warm taste anymore. I pull down the window and throw it out. I’ll have a littering day today; tomorrow I’ll get back to my morals.

Road signs are still easy to see with the light-reflector gizmos attached to them. Our government has obviously thought through a nationwide apocalypse and made reading signs at night with no electricity as easy as possible.

The energy drink gives me caffeine jitters. I notice I’m tapping my leg and playing the drums against the steering wheel. I do this for an hour and a half until the caffeine wears off and I crash. I’m only twenty miles from Nashville, but I decide to call it a night. It’s been a long day and I’m physically and emotionally drained. Cujo #2 had my adrenaline pumping at full force, and I think my body is recovering from that.

I pull over to the side of the road and turn the car off. I thought I would be in Mobile lying on the beach, but instead I didn’t even make it to Nashville. I’m not even halfway there. I tell myself I’m in no hurry, but a part of me feels guilty for not making it farther.

I remind myself there is no set time I need to be there, no schedule I need to follow through on. It’s liberating knowing I’m free to do whatever I want, whenever I want tomorrow and nobody can stop me. Like most people, my workday consists of doing things other people tell me to do. I show up at a certain time, stay for a set number of hours, and leave at a set time. It’s depressing to think about how little control I have over my life. I get two days out of seven each week when I can do what I want, but even then I have to take into consideration what Abby wants to do.

I feel like a puppet with too many people pulling the strings. They tell me to jump, and I ask how high without considering whether I want to jump in the first place.

For the past three days, I’ve called all of the shots. I can’t remember the last day where I could truly do whatever I wanted. Even before entering the real world, there was school and only doing things my parents would let me do.

Never have I had complete freedom, and it’s not like I’m unique in this fashion; most people are the same way. No wonder most people are unhappy with their lives!

The plan for tomorrow is to go to Mobile, but I can go north, east, or west if I want to. I can do what I want on my own terms. Thinking about that brings a smile to my face – a smile that stays with me as I drift off to sleep.

Chapter 13

When I wake up I realize I slept with my car lights on.

I check the dashboard hoping to see the lights still lit up but they’re off. Great! I’ve killed my battery and I’m fifteen miles from Nashville. Doing the calculations in my head, that’s seven hours of walking I have ahead of me.

The keys are still in the ignition. I close my eyes and try to calm myself down. If I turn the key and the car doesn’t start, I can get through this. Sure, I’ll have to walk a good part of the day to the city and another good distance to find a car to break into, but I’ll survive it. It would really suck, but I’d survive.

I place my hand on the key and turn the ignition. The engine chugs for a moment then stops. I turn the ignition off and try again. Much to my delight, Abby’s BMW starts up this time. My day isn’t ruined –- well, not yet anyway.

The BMW must have some kind of stupidity feature built in that saves power if you leave it on. It’s moments like these when it pays to have spent a little extra. If I were here with my Cavalier, I would be out of luck and smashing something with my ax.

I get out of the car and stretch my legs trying to wake up. It’s unusually warm for this time of year, although I’m sure some of this has to do with being farther south.

I always wake up hungry, and today is no exception. Even though I’m getting sick of cereal, I can’t imagine fixing peanut butter and jelly for breakfast. I get in the car and pour myself yet another bowl of cereal.

Instead of eating in the car, I walk around and eat, soaking in some sun and the nice weather. The scenery is absolutely beautiful with rolling hills and the many colors of the trees’ leaves. Autumn around here must have photographers drooling. If you can’t capture beautiful outdoor shots here, you should pick a different profession.

I sit on the trunk and soak in the scenery. The only thing that would make this more perfect is a warm cup of coffee –- and civilization to return, of course.

I get back in the car and make my way to downtown Nashville. I’ve been there a couple times, once during a basketball camp and the other with Abby when we were on our way to Mobile for a cruise. I don’t remember much except that it looked like a nice town that was easy to get lost in.

Today I don’t have any reason to explore the city. The plan is to drive through to see if I can find someone and then leave. If I happen to run across a gun store or anything else that piques my interest, I’ll stop in.

The fifteen miles goes by fast, and before I know it I’m downtown. I can’t believe I didn’t have the energy to drive this much farther last night. Nashville is beautiful, and if I didn’t dislike country music I could see myself living here. The road I drive down has several restaurants –- burger-and-fries-type of places. There’s also clothing and other random shops on every corner.

I drive around looking for any signs of recent life. At this point, I don’t expect to see anyone. I just want some indication of why people left and where they went. If everyone wants to pack up and leave then so be it. I just wish someone had told me the plan.

I drive a few more blocks, mainly looking for a gun store but keeping my eyes open for anything else. When I continue to see nothing but abandoned restaurants and tacky-looking stores selling useless junk, I make my way back toward the highway.

I haven’t drifted far from the highway this time, and I remember exactly how to get back. Sure, this will involve driving down the opposite way on a few one-way streets but at least I won’t get lost.

Just as I’m about to make an illegal U-turn, I see it. A couple blocks ahead, a black car blazes through a stoplight and speeds out of sight.

Ditching my safe path to the highway, I hit pedal to metal and chase after the car. I turn onto the street the car was just on and to my surprise the road is long enough that I can still see the black car a few hundred yards ahead and moving fast.

The car makes a right turn behind a building, which takes it out of my view. I fly through intersections and stop lights. If a car happens to cross any of these intersections now I’ll be a dead man at these speeds.

I make the turn and, just as I do, I see the black car going out of view again. It’s moving fast but I’m getting closer. I see the highway up ahead and it looks like that’s where they’re going.

When I turn again I expect to see the black car, but it’s gone. There’s a left turn, which leads to the highway exit ramp. Or did they go straight into a series of apartment complexes? It’s a guess but an easy one; I make the left turn onto the spiraling exit ramp.

At the speed I’m going, I can feel the torque of Abby’s car. I slow down so the car doesn’t flip over. Once I get onto the highway, I’m overjoyed to see the black car again. It’s only a couple hundred yards away.

I drive Abby’s BMW as fast as it will take me. Inch by inch I gain on the car. I’m close enough now that they should see me and slow down, but why aren’t they? Do they not care that I’m here? Or are they scared and trying to get away?

I’m not going to let them outrun me this time. I don’t care if I wreck the car or run out of gas leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere; I’m going to catch up.

As I inch my way closer, I can almost see the make of the car. At first I thought it was a black BMW like mine, but it looks a little different. I’m only fifty yards away now, so I start blasting my horn. If they haven’t seen me yet, my horn should definitely get their attention. If they don’t slow down now it’s because they really don’t want me to catch up to them.

Not that it matters now, but I just realize I’m not on I-65. Instead, I’m on I-40, wherever that goes. At first I think this is a mistake but the sign is clearly marked. I have to pause for a moment to remember if I-40 is what I’m supposed to be on to get to Mobile. I’m almost positive it’s I-65 but I don’t have time to look at the map. I can figure out where I-40 actually goes later.

The black car is in the right lane, so I start to move toward the left and get alongside them. I check the speedometer and see I’m going 115 MPH! Other than an airport runway, this is the fastest speed I’ve ever traveled on land.

I have to maintain peak focus because at this speed, anything less than driving perfectly straight could lead me into a fishtail and flip the car. I’ve read stories about people dying in car crashes where they were only going thirty-five miles per hour, so triple that and it’s a near certainty I’ll be dead.

I’m alongside the black car now but I can’t see the driver yet. I look forward and see there’s a bend in the road ahead, which I’ll have to slow down for. I don’t trust myself taking a turn at these speeds with a car next to me.

Inch by inch, I make my way next to the black car. I honk again, trying to get their attention so they’ll slow down. I’ve already far exceeded the speed I’m comfortable driving, but I give Abby’s car one last push forward so I can see the driver. I’m now completely parallel to the car and turn to look.

There’s nobody in the car.

I peek forward to make sure I’m not going to crash; the turn up ahead is only seconds away. I look back again at the car to make sure my eyes didn’t deceive me, but again I see there’s nobody in the driver’s seat. The steering wheel is turning ever so slightly, but nobody is in that car. Not in the driver’s seat, nor the passenger or back seat. It’s completely empty!

To avoid a collision, I slow down enough that I’m a little behind the car when I make the bend in the road. The black car doesn’t slow down at all.

With the massive torque being put on Abby’s car, I have to slow down further to keep the car from flipping over. The black car is far riskier than I am, but I guess if there’s nobody inside it’s easy to take chances.

I pull into the right lane so I can draft behind it. I look closely at the driver’s backseat to see any glimpse of a head or anything, but there’s nothing there. I watch closely for a couple minutes and can’t believe this is happening.

Seeing no good reason to chase after it any longer, I ease up on the gas pedal and watch as the black car takes off in front of me. I make a complete stop on the highway and it’s not long before the car is out of view.

What was that car, and why was nobody inside? I’ve read about self-driving cars but never seen one in person. I know in some states it’s legal but still requires someone to actually be in the car in case something goes wrong.

Why was it going that fast? Did it malfunction? I look down at my map to locate I-40 and see I’m going east instead of south on I-65, where I planned on going.

From the article I read, self-driving cars can be programmed with a destination address in their little computers, and then they use GPS to map out where you are and the best path to get to your destination. It has a sensor at the top that figures out if there are cars around you, when to stop at stop signs, what lane you’re in, and all the other information you need to know as a driver. I watched an online video where someone tested its capabilities by walking out in front it, and it automatically slammed on its breaks. Pretty impressive technology.

The self-driving cars I’ve seen each had a big video camera that sat on top of the car to monitor its surroundings. This car didn’t have that; it looked like a normal car. This only makes my day even stranger; not only are there no people around, but now I have a magical car driving around entirely by itself.

Something I’m starting to realize is the pattern of my car sightings. I see a car every morning around this time. I can’t remember anything the first day, but on the second day a car drove by when I was coming out of the supermarket. Yesterday morning, I saw a car driving on the opposite side of the highway. And now today, I had my run-in with a car with no driver.

If something happens twice, I would say it’s coincidental but three days in a row is strange.

I tell myself there wasn’t a car on the first day, but I’m not sure that’s true. I remember driving to work and thinking I saw a car driving down the block off in the distance. I wasn’t paying enough attention to notice for sure, but it’s a strong possibility there was a car driving by. If so, then that’s four mornings in a row I saw a car without seeing another one again the rest of the day.

That can’t be a coincidence. If I wake up tomorrow and it happens again, I’ll know without a doubt I’m a part of someone’s sick joke.

I drive up to the nearest U-turn and head west to get back on I-65 toward Mobile. It’s still morning, but already I can’t wait for this day to be over.

If I’m being pranked, there’s no telling what I may do. I have a pellet gun and an ax, and I’m not afraid to use them. If I catch up to the black car again, I might just intentionally wreck it. That will show them not to mess with me. When I woke up this morning, I thought my first priority was getting to Mobile. Now, I think my top priority is getting a pistol. Then I can shoot at the tires of the black car instead of killing myself trying to wreck it.

Where I’m going to find a gun store I have no idea. The map shows there isn’t another large town until Birmingham, which is a couple hundred miles away. I don’t have any idea where a gun store is in that town, but when I get there I’m not going to leave until I find one.

After about ten minutes I find I-65. I don’t want to think about the black car or the depressing situation I’m in any longer so I put in a Metallica CD and start jamming.

I try to do anything I can to distract myself but I can’t get the black car off my mind. Even if there is someone doing some sick prank on me, at least that means there is someone out there. It gives me hope I’ll find someone else, so I won’t be alone anymore.

I can already tell this is going to be a long day. I look down for something with entertainment value but all I see is my bottle of Jack Daniels, which is very tempting. I don’t have any effects of a hangover from yesterday, not that I was expecting one. I learned in college that you can prevent hangovers almost one hundred percent if you just drink plenty of water.

Twenty minutes pass and I look down again at the whiskey bottle that’s calling my name. Screw it; nobody is here to judge me. I’ll just have one sip.

I pull over to the side of the road and fix my favorite concoction. I make it with only a quarter whiskey and the rest Coke — it is morning after all.

I drink half of the cup before putting it down, and immediately I feel better. I ask myself why I don’t drink more; I’m so happy when I’m intoxicated. Being drunk is also when I get my best ideas. My streamlined payment processor idea came when I was hammered one Friday night. The idea, I think, was slowly forming in the back of my mind, but the alcohol brought it to the forefront and gave me the courage to take action on it. Perhaps drinking now can help me think up a better idea of where to go next.

After I finish my first glass, I decide it’s OK to make another. It seems silly to pull the car over again so I untwist the cap with one hand and start pouring, making sure to keep the car on the road.

I look at the bottle and see I’ve drank a lot over the past twenty-four hours. I don’t know if I should be proud of this or ashamed. If Abby were watching me she’d be furious at what I was doing. She’s the ultimate rule follower and would have no tolerance for this reckless behavior. It’s a good thing she isn’t here then, because this is fun! I would never do something like this if there were a chance of being pulled over and arrested, but since that ship has sailed I have no problem bending an old rule or two.

The second glass goes down smoother than the first — it always does. I know I should stop but I’m reminded of my long drive ahead and figure I might as well keep the party going. I don’t even feel tipsy yet.

Again, it doesn’t feel necessary to pull the car over. After all, I’m the world’s greatest driving bartender right now. Nobody else in the world can compete. I start pouring my third cup of Jack Daniels. I still don’t want to get too drunk, so I make sure I only fill it up about a quarter of the way. When I look to see how I did, I feel the rumble strips from my car veering off the road. This startles me enough to put the bottle down and keep both hands on the wheel.

No damage done, but it’s a nice warning to be more careful. I see no reason to stop drinking, but it might be a good idea to pull over when I make my next drink. I might do that for the next one, but for now I take the Coke and start pouring while making sure my eyes are up and one hand is on the wheel.

Nobody believes me when I say it, but I believe my thinking and decision-making improves when I’m a little intoxicated. Sure, if I drink eight beers I become a bumbling idiot, but there’s a sweet spot in the range of two to four beers where I become a total genius (or so I think).

If I had three wishes now, the first would be to have things back to the way they were –- except for clowns. They can be gone forever.

Second, I would ask for a billion dollars, tax-free. I could have a lot of fun with that kind of money, and I’d never have to see my bosses again.

Finally, I’d wish to have this slight beer buzz feeling all of the time, without any negative side effects.

Actually, if it weren’t the genie from Aladdin I was working with, I’d wish for more wishes — you always have to try that loophole when given wishes. Then I’d wish for infinite life, striking good looks, and I may even throw in world peace if I’m feeling generous.

As I drink my third cup, I finally start feeling tipsy and slow down the drinking. This is my smart buzz at work.

All this alcohol turns my mind to Abby again. If she were here now I’d be putting on my geeky charm. Abby and I have been together a long time, but we’ve never had a problem in the lovemaking area. I think back to the last time we did it –- the weekend before all this happened. We went out and had a few drinks. When we got home, well, you can figure out the rest.

Since that option isn’t available to me I look for something else to focus my attention on. The only thing I can find is my cup of Jack and Coke, so I start drinking some more. Thinking about Abby makes me depressed. I would give anything to kiss her and hold her. Scratch my previous genie list; my first wish is to have her here by my side.

I’m a man, and like most men I never cry. I can count on one hand the total number of times I’ve cried in my entire life. Two close family members, a tragic death of a friend, and the death of the dog I grew up with had me crying in my pillow. I also cried the first time I watched Rudy, but let’s not count that one.

When I look over to the seat next to me — the empty seat that always has Abby in it during long trips — I can’t help but start crying. I’ve never felt this sad and lonely before. I miss her. Thinking of her and knowing I can’t see her makes me so frustrated I cry even more.

My eyes are filled with water and I start making weird crying noises — it’s obvious I’m not an experienced crier. I do my best to compose myself as I wipe the tears from my eyes. With this cry I’m letting out all the stress of the past few days. I’m one to keep everything bottled up inside, but I have to admit letting everything out feels good. I should do this more often.

I look over to the seat next to me, as if looking over would somehow make her magically appear. I can picture her looking at me with those beautiful eyes and a big smile on her face. The picture is so vivid it actually makes me smile.

I see her singing whatever song is on the radio and holding an imaginary microphone in her hand, which always makes me laugh.

Abby is the only girl I’ve ever known who can make me laugh on a daily basis. I guess her wonderful personality is why I married her.

That seat next to me brings back so many great memories. If only she were here, things would be so much easier.

When I look back up at the road, I don’t like what I see. I’ve veered off to the left and am headed down a steep hill.

I grab the steering wheel with both hands and slam on the breaks, but this just makes matters worse. The speed I’m going is too fast, and the hill is too steep.

My car starts flipping over.

Chapter 14

I open my eyes and realize I must have been knocked unconscious. I don’t know for sure how many times the car flipped over, but I remember feeling three of them. Now I’m upside-down and still strapped in my seat belt.

I touch the left side of my head and panic when I feel it’s covered in blood. Blood has always made me queasy and this is no exception.

I work to get myself out of the seat belt, which feels like I’m on a roller coaster. Both of my arms appear to be unbroken but it hurts when I move my left shoulder.

Fortunately, the roof was smashed down during the crash, so when I unbuckle myself I don’t have as far to fall. I make a pretty good thud when I hit the bottom and, despite bracing my fall, I land face first. The impact reveals how much pain my back and legs are in.

I reach for the door, which feels weird to open upside down. It seems stuck but then I realize it’s brushing across the ground and just requires more effort. I don’t have much strength but after a couple minutes I get the door open enough to crawl through.

Once I’m out I lay down on the grass, which is still wet from what must have been an earlier rain. The hill must have been slippery; otherwise I may have been able to regain control.

It’s unpleasant lying here. I turn over to see what kind of damage has been done to the car but feel a sharp pain in my side. I’ve never had a broken bone in my life so I don’t know what it feels like, but the intense pain makes me think I may have broken –- or at least cracked –- a rib. I lift up my shirt, afraid to see what it looks like. It’s bruised, but I can’t tell if it’s broken.

I attempt to stand up, but the pain is too great and brings me to my knees. I try to remain calm but it’s hard. My head is throbbing; the blood seems a good indicator of why. I try to get up again, and this time I’m able to do so. As long as I keep my torso straight the pain is bearable. Now that I get a good look at the car, I’m not pleased with what I see.

“DAMN IT!” I shout.

The sight of my demolished car hits me like a punch in the gut. What remains of the car is totaled. I turn to the hill I slid down and see there are chunks and pieces scattered everywhere. The remains of several bottles of water and other random items have escaped the car during the wreck. Even if I could somehow get the car right side up, it would be no use; Abby’s car will never be driven again.

I look inside the car and don’t think I could create a bigger mess of objects if I had a week. Clothes, water bottles, and cereal boxes are weaved together like the aftermath of a violent tornado.

Only moments ago, everything was fine and I was headed for Mobile. Now, I’m standing near the highway in the middle of nowhere with a car flipped upside-down and my remaining food and water supplies scarce and depleted.

What can I possibly do now? On the long list of things people in developed nations take for granted, 911 is one of them. If I could make one quick call to 911, an ambulance would be here to take me to the hospital. Sure, it might cost a small fortune, but at least I’d be safe.

Instead, I weigh my two options: First, I could rot here and die, pouting about how miserable my situation is. The second option – which isn’t much better – is to grab what I can and start making my way to the nearest town.

During normal circumstances the latter option is a no-brainer, but at this point I’m strongly considering lying here and dying. There’s a small chance – somewhere very near zero percent — that someone might come along to rescue me. I’m sure I have enough food and water to last me a few days until then.

The thought of leaving the car and walking for miles and miles is something I have no interest in doing; I’ve never had less desire to live. If I had a real gun, I could end it all with one pull of the trigger — a very tempting proposition. I only have a pellet gun though, and I’m not sure what would happen if I held it up to my head and pulled the trigger. Would it be powerful enough to kill me? The only thing worse than dying is dying a slow and miserable death with a few pellets lodged in your head.

I don’t know what makes me think about it, but I pull out my wallet. Inside one of the credit card slots is a picture Abby gave me of herself back when we were first dating. After all these years, I’ve never had a reason to take it out. I rarely look at it – only when I’m changing or re-organizing my wallet. Now, though, I’ve never had a more useful reason to keep the picture. It looks like it’s been through hell. The edges are worn out and it’s wrinkled from being sat on for ten years, but I can still see her perfect face in the middle, virtually undamaged.

She was so beautiful back then, and even more beautiful today. I turn it over and am surprised to see a message written on the back. Has this always been here?

Andrew, Wow how can I begin? These past 6 months have been the best of my life. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you. Sure, we’ve had some down moments, but it’s been totally worth it. I have so much fun when I’m with you. I’ve had some crazy boyfriends in the past, and it’s nice to finally have a kind, sweet and funny guy like you. I hope the next six months are even better than the first. Love, Abby

Seeing her handwriting, I can’t help but get emotional. Knowing that Abby’s small, soft hand wrote this many years ago makes me cry.

I re-read the note again, paying particular attention to “we’ve had some down moments, but it’s been totally worth it.” I try to remember what those might have been. As young kids in college, petty problems seemed so much more important than they really were. I know we had our arguments and we did have some tough times, but it’s been so many years since then I can’t remember what any of those fights were even about. All I know is, before all this happened, Abby and I have never been better. I’ve never loved her more and I believe she would say the same.

Seeing this note rejuvenates my will to live. I have to see Abby at least one more time so I can tell her how passionately in love I am with her.

Looking at my car, I don’t know where to begin. There’s an intense smell of gas from the twenty or more gallons that likely poured out everywhere in the trunk. I think it’s a miracle the car didn’t blow up, but it seems like a ticking time bomb with the engine still hot. I better get everything out while I can.

I go in the backseat, which looks very unusual with the seats on top. As fast as I can and without moving my side too much, I take the jumbled mess and throw it out onto the ground. All of my clothes are soaking wet from the spilled water bottles, and there’s also peanut butter and jelly scattered everywhere on my clothes. I can deal with the stains on my shirts, but I’m more concerned with my food supply being so scarce.

A few of the cereal boxes managed to break themselves open, but most are intact. At least I have enough cereal to last me awhile.

My biggest concerns are water and how I’m going to travel with it. I have a suitcase in the trunk but there’s no way for me to get to it because of how the car’s damaged. I think I’m all out of options until I see the ax sitting in the front seat. That’s the only way I’ll be able to get into the trunk — brute force.

Before I start smashing, I get everything out of the front seat. I’m about halfway finished when I see something that makes my heart sink. It’s my gun, but only half of it. Somehow, the crash managed to break the gun into at least two pieces. What an amazingly cheap and worthless pellet gun this turned out to be.

I get my ax and am moments away from striking the trunk when I remember the gas tanks are inside. Any spark could set it off. I’m not sure how big of an explosion that would cause, but my guess is I wouldn’t live to tell about it. It’s not worth the risk and I probably wouldn’t be able to ax my way into the trunk anyway, so I give up before I even start.

Looking at the huge pile of stuff on the ground, I decide on the essential things to take. My ax is a given. I figure I can put a couple bottles of water in each pocket, so that’s four bottles. I also decide I can wear multiple layers of clothing for warmth. I hope I won’t have to sleep outside tonight, but I’ve learned to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. It’s warm now but I’m sure nighttime will be chilly. It’s better to have too many layers than not enough, so I put a couple warm sweaters over me.

I don’t have a good place to put cereal boxes, so I’m going to have to carry those by hand. I couldn’t be sicker of cereal but I have no other choice.

My setup is complete: a pair of jeans with four bottles of water stuffed in the pockets, four layers of shirts and sweaters, an ax stuffed in my jeans so I don’t have to hold it, two boxes of cereal stuffed under each arm, and two more bottles of water in each hand.

This is the best my engineering mind can come up with.

I pay my last respects to my car as if it were an open casket at a funeral. I’ve had some great memories in this car with Abby; it has taken us many great places. I was hoping it would take me to Mobile, but my moment of stupidity prevented that. I touch the car one last time with my hand and set off on my new journey without it.

As I start walking, the smell of my breath reminds me I’ve been drinking. Was it the alcohol or taking my eyes off the road that was most at fault for the crash? Probably the combination of both.

My main concern now is which way I should go. I try to think how far back it is to the last town I saw but can’t remember. This answers my question; I’m better off risking unknown territory than backtracking several miles where I know there’s nothing.

I walk to the highway and am amazed by how slow I’m going. I’d be far out of sight now if I was in Abby’s car, but I see a bend in the road ahead and calculate it might take an hour before I get there. If only I were a marathoner, but how someone can run 26.2 miles I’ll never know.

I should be conservative with my food and water, but my extreme thirst demands I drink some water now. Maybe it’s the alcohol that dehydrated me, or maybe it’s because I have four layers of clothes on with the mild sun beaming down on me. Either way, I chug an entire bottle of water leaving me only five bottles total left.

I may regret this later but for now I’m satisfied. It’s also nice to have one hand free.

It’s only twenty minutes later when I start getting hungry. I check my phone and see it’s one thirty. No wonder I’m hungry, I usually eat two hours before this. Looking at my phone makes me realize I forgot to bring the charger. Once the battery dies, I’ll have no way of telling the time. My phone charger only works in the car, so I didn’t bother bringing it, but I wish I had it nevertheless.

When I do find a town, I plan on breaking into cars until I find one with a spare key. Then, I can drive back and pick up my phone charger. There’s probably some other stuff I wouldn’t mind having too, but I can only carry so much.

I try sitting down but the pain in my side is too great. If only I could go to a hospital to have someone look at my rib, arm, leg, and head — not to mention countless bruises and aches I’m sure I’ll discover in the morning. Instead, I sit on my knees, which doesn’t seem to hurt my torso as much, and start eating some cereal.

Sitting on this highway eating cereal makes me reflect again on the past few days. It’s only been four days since I was driving to work thinking everything was perfect and normal in the world. Now I think of all the stupid decisions I’ve made to get me to this point. If I could do it over again, I would stay home. There I would have been safe and had months and months of food and water stocked up. If I ran out of something, a grocery store would be right around the corner. I could have lived for years until someone came and found me. And I could have slept in my own bed.

Instead, I’ve put my life in serious jeopardy. I could have died in that crash, and now I only have a couple days of water left. I’m leaving my fate in the hopes of a town being close. Why was I so stupid getting in that wreck? There weren’t even any cars around! If I think about it anymore I’ll get angry, so I grab my stuff and hop back on my feet.

It’s going to be a long walk, and I can imagine a bear coming out of the woods at any time. With just my cheap little ax, I wouldn’t stand a chance. I hope my death would be quick and painless.

I think about how long it will be before I get to the next town. Assuming I walk two miles per hour – which, with all of the stuff I’m carrying, may be even slower – and figuring there should be a town within sixty miles, I have two full days of walking ahead of me, realistically three.

I realize now I didn’t bring any maps. At the time, I didn’t think I needed any but now I wish I had. I could have looked to see exactly how far it’s going to be before the nearest town. It doesn’t matter though; knowing how far away it is isn’t going to make it any closer.

I mentally prepare myself for three days of walking. I hope it’s not true but that’s what I have to plan my food and water for. It would be great if I came up to a town sooner, but I have to expect the worst at this point.

With that thought, I pick up my pace and continue walking forward.

After two hours, I become more and more annoyed by what I’m carrying with me. This would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to hold four boxes of cereal in my arms and have bottles of water stuffed in my pockets.

I’m already using the last of my energy reserves, which isn’t good considering I may have another six hours of walking ahead of me today. I’m almost guaranteed to be sleeping outside tonight. It’s starting to get dark and cloudy, and the last thing I want is for it to rain. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble sleeping outside as long as I can lie down, but if it rains all night there’s no chance.

I continue walking but am startled when I feel something brush up against my leg. My first thought is that it must be a snake. Like most people, I’m terrified of the slithering creatures. Sure, if there’s a big glass wall between us at the zoo they aren’t that frightening, but when you see one in the wild you have no idea whether it’s poisonous or not.

When I look down though, I see it’s not a snake. Not even close. It’s another black cat.

“Well hello there kitty.”

Where on Earth did this thing come from? I look around behind me and see it may have come out of the woods. How strange it is that I keep running into black cats, and I notice it’s usually around this time of day too.

I think back to the last four days like I did with the car. On the first day, I saw a cat on the way to Abby’s office. On day two, there was a little black cat that came up next to me when I was siphoning gas by my house. Yesterday… I didn’t see a cat. Does that disprove my theory? What was I doing yesterday around this time? It seems like so long ago.

I remember going to the electronics store and getting attacked by Cujo #2. That was later in the day though. Before that I drove a lot then had a little meltdown at the gas station. Somewhere during that stretch of events was four o’clock.

Then I remember that I started drinking around this time yesterday and passed out soon after. It must have been then, when I had my nap, which would explain why I didn’t see a cat.

It seems crazy, but then I remember the same thing happened with the car – always around the same time of the day. I’m not a betting man, but I would wager a fresh bottle of water that there was a little black cat hovering around the car while I was napping.

As I look down at the cat, I wonder if it’s the same one I saw before. I get a close look, but can’t decide one way or the other. At the least it looks very similar.

Another thing that seems strange to me is every time I see something it’s always black. The cars have always been black. The cats have always been black. Even Cujo #1 and Cujo #2 have been black.

I reach down to pet the cat but forget about the sharp pain in my side. I wince in pain, which is enough to scare her off and run into the woods.

“Hey, where are you going? I’m not going to hurt you.”

It feels stupid, but I’m actually quite sad the cat ran off. I could sure use a friend right now. I give her a name, even though I’m not sure it’s a her.

“Tabby, come back!”

I think about going into the woods after her, but decide it’s not worth it. I need to save all the energy I have to continue my walk up the highway.

For the next hour I make my way up a large, inclining hill. I have to make several rest stops to catch my breath and shake out the cramps in my legs. The excitement of seeing what’s beyond the hill is the only thing motivating me to move forward. With each step, I get closer to seeing what scenery I’ll get to look at for the next hour of my life.

As I continue forward, I see more and more of the land on the other side. My heart skips a beat.

It’s not a town I see — I’m not that lucky — but far off in the distance I see houses! Of course, why didn’t I think of that? I don’t have to make it all the way to a new town to find shelter. There are always houses right off the highway. Climbing the hill left me slow and sluggish and ready to take another break, but now I have a newfound pep in my step and start fast-walking my way down the hill.

Even at this rate, it’s still going to take an hour to get there. If I only had a car or even a bicycle, I could coast my way down there in minutes.

It’s no surprise that walking down a hill is much more pleasant than walking up one. Walking also really allows you to soak in your surroundings in a way you just don’t get while driving. You can hear the beautiful trees singing from the wind and smell the freshness of the air.

The wind and the dark sky above remind me that it could start raining any minute now. It doesn’t bother me as much as it did earlier, though; because now I know I’m only an hour walk from shelter.

Sure enough, as soon as I’m reminded of it I feel my first raindrops. I try to remember the last time I was outside walking when it started to rain and can only think of one time during a golf outing a few years ago.

The rain doesn’t waste any time and starts coming down hard fast. I take back what I said about not caring if it rains; this is miserable. The drops are big and cold on my skin. With all of my layers of clothes on, it makes me feel even heavier.

The cereal boxes start to feel soggy. I didn’t think about it before, but why am I even carrying the boxes when I can just hold the plastic bags? I stop walking for a moment to do just that, throwing the cardboard to the ground. That’s so much better! I stuff a couple bags in my pants, and now I can carry two bags in my free hand — much better than stuffed under my arms.

The rain beating down on my face is rather annoying, so I flip up my hood. I look up at the clouds to see which direction they are moving and if the rain will end soon. Outdoor skills are not my area of expertise; I’m a city boy. All I know is the breeze is starting to pick up, so hopefully that means the wind will push the rain clouds away, whatever direction that may be.

A huge gust of wind comes and knocks me off-balance. Then I hear something I should have expected, the rumbling of thunder.

I pick up my pace, but I’m still a long way away from any houses. I look up just in time to see lightning followed by a loud crack. I turn my head to see if there’s anywhere safe to take cover but there’s nothing –- only highway, an empty field, and the woods a bit farther in the distance. I’m not sure anywhere is safer than where I am so I continue to move forward.

The rain beats down even harder. I may regret it later but I break out into a jog. The stomping on the ground makes my side ache, but it’s worth it if gets me out of this weather sooner. I look up again to see if there are any signs the storm will be over but it doesn’t look good. Another bolt of lightning cracks down, this time making me jump and cover my hands over my head — as if that would help.

The storm is right on top of me now. The wind is intense, making it difficult to even walk straight.

The houses I saw at the top of the hill are starting to come more in focus. There are at least three on the right side of the road and two on the left. At this jogging pace, I should be there soon.

A few minutes pass and the rain starts to let up. Right when I think the storm is over I hear, without a doubt, the loudest noise I’ve ever heard in my life. No more than one hundred yards from me, lightning strikes a tree I happened to be looking at. Sparks fly everywhere making it momentarily look like a Christmas tree.

I’m glad I decided stay out in the open. The only thing I recall about lightning safety in school is that being in a car is one of the safer options. That never made sense to me, but I’ll have to agree it sounds safer than being under a tree right now.

My jog turns into a run; lightning can be a huge motivator. My heart is beating out of my chest but adrenaline has kicked into full force and the pain in my side has disappeared. A tiny white house ahead is getting closer and closer. Despite the lightning, the rain does seem to be slowing down. That’s of little concern now though; I’m already drenched. My run turns back into a jog so I can start to catch my breath. I continue to push forward as the house is only a couple more minutes away.

The feeling I get when I finally step into their yard is pure joy. I feel like I’ve won a battle even though I have nothing to celebrate. I’m still outside risking my life in the elements.

I take a moment to catch my breath then start walking toward the front door of the house. I’m only a few steps into the yard when something surprises me — the sun finds its way through the clouds.

Only a few short minutes ago, lightning was taking out that tree. Now beams of sunlight are here. I’ve never seen lightning when the sun is out so I take it as a sign the storm is over.

Walking toward the house, something occurs to me that I should have thought of before. These past few days I’ve seen a car around the same time, in the morning around nine o’clock. A cat always shows up around four. Then I remember a dog has shown up around the same time too, hasn’t it? Usually around six o’clock or so? I don’t know what time it is, but that has to be around now.

Thinking through this more, on day one I met Cujo #1 on the walk back to my house after running out of gas. On day two, I never ran into a dog. On day three, I met Cujo #2 at the electronics store around six. So where was I on day 2?

I remember filling up on gas for the trip, then seeing the cat and forgetting my ax and gun so I rushed home. The rest of the day I stayed in the house.

Of all things to disprove my wild theory, it would have to be this. Sure, I was inside the entire time, but if the rules are that Cujo shows up at six o’clock, then why didn’t he magically appear in my living room? Or why didn’t I look out my window and see him waiting on me?

No matter how I spin it, this doesn’t add up. I should have seen or heard him if my theory is true. I may have dozed off for a moment while I was reading; I’ve certainly been known to do that in the past. I’m pretty confident, though, that I didn’t nap. My head was racing with so many things I couldn’t have napped if I tried.

I can try to disprove my theory all I want. I can convince myself that because Cujo didn’t show up on day two, the other appearances were just coincidental but none of that matters now.

Far in the distance, I see it –- a big, black dog running right toward me.

Chapter 15

I throw my cereal on the ground and pull out the dull-edged ax I’ve been carrying tucked in my pants. I run toward the little white house, which has a backdoor with no patio. It’s very odd that the door sits a foot above the ground and leads to nothing but empty grass.

The back of the house has two tiny windows about six feet up that I can barely reach and wouldn’t be able to fit in if I tried. My seconds are precious; Cujo isn’t slowing down and looks angrier than ever.

I try the doorknob, which is locked. Then, I attempt to break down the door by putting my shoulder into it like they do in the movies. It doesn’t budge and I’m reminded again of my cracked rib. Even with the adrenaline pumping, the pain is unbearable.

I make a couple futile attempts at kicking the door down, but I know it’s no use. There’s no time and I can tell I’m not going to make it into the house before Cujo gets to me.

By the time I would make it to the front of the house, Cujo would be on my back and tearing me to pieces. This acceptance, this knowing that I have to have a battle to the death terrifies me but also gives me courage I never knew I had.

I take my ax with both hands and actually start walking toward him as if I’m the one instigating the fight. Anger builds up inside of me. I feel the only way I’ll be able to do what I’m about to do is in an angry frame of mind.

Cujo is seconds away so I take the ax in a baseball grip. I can see the anger in Cujo’s eyes now as he prepares to attack. The speed at which he is running toward me, I’ll admit, is very intimidating. When he gets a few feet away, he leaps at me.

I take my biggest homerun swing, trying to time it like a fastball making its way toward home plate.

I feel contact and the force of Cujo coming at me knocks the ax out of my hands. I fall to the ground as his momentum carries him past me. When I turn around I see Cujo whimpering. There are hints of blood and my ax on the ground next to him.

He’s injured, but how seriously I’m not sure. It’s not enough because he stands up and comes after me again. I wish I had thought quickly enough to kick him while he was down. Instead, I freeze up not knowing what to do next. I have no chance against him without the ax. Unfortunately, he’s standing in a rage between the ax and me.

He jumps at me again. I have no self-defense this time other than to try to push him away. I’m successful at clearing our distance but the snap of his jaw clips my arm. I don’t have time to look, my eyes staring unflinching at Cujo, but I feel the pain and blood running down my arm.

The separation between us gives me the brief second I need to step in and kick him as hard as I can. It connects but hardly seems to faze him. It only takes that one kick to realize I’m not going to cause any real damage doing this. My ax is the only thing that will save my life. His bleeding rib cage is an indication of that.

He makes another jump at me. This time, instead of kicking him, I try to push him away. I have to get to the ax. He keeps coming at me, and I try to keep my distance with a combination of pushing and kicking as I back-peddle toward the ax.

I feel it against my feet but by the time I know it’s there I trip over it and fall to the ground. I grab the handle with my right hand but it’s too late. Cujo jumps on top of me and the only thing I can do in that moment is stick out my left hand to protect myself.

Cujo opens his mouth as wide as he can and sinks his teeth into my arm. My mouth shoots open in shock. He’s got me now.

The worst part comes when he jerks his head back and forth, tearing my arm to pieces. My own blood squirts down onto my face.

At this moment instinct takes over, and I know I better do something fast. With the ax still in my right hand, I use all the force I can muster and take a swing at his neck.

It connects perfectly. Cujo falls to the ground releasing his teeth from my arm.

Taking the ax with both hands, I get up to my feet and swing it down at him. Again and again, crushing blow after crushing blow, I swing at Cujo. I don’t know this madman inside of me; I’m seeing him for the first time.

After ten swings of the ax – or it could have been a hundred, I’m not really sure – Cujo is dead. There’s no denying it as he lays motionless in several pieces. The shock of what I’ve just done starts to hit me. I can’t believe it was me that did all of this.

Both of my arms are bleeding. They’re mangled and probably need a hundred stitches. The pain should hurt worse than it does I think, and probably will when the adrenaline wears off. No matter how much it hurts, though, it will be OK. I’ll live to see another day.

The sun starts to set and I figure I only have an hour before it’s dark. It’s only now I realize I forgot my flashlight. I suppose I didn’t have much room to carry it, but now I wish I’d somehow found a way.

What I want even more than a flashlight is a hospital with a team full of doctors. Out of all my injuries up to this point, my left arm, mangled from from Cujo’s teeth, is by far the worst. Every time I move the fingers in my left hand I feel the pain.

I take off my sweatshirt and wrap up my arm. I do this to stop the bleeding, but also so I don’t have to look at my arm and see the damage that’s been done.

Looking down at Cujo again, I realize it could have been a lot worse. That could be me lying there in pieces, being his meal. The thought makes me turn away and the guilt is really starting to get to me. I know it was what I had to do to stay alive, but somehow it still doesn’t seem right. I’m not a murderer and don’t have a mean bone in my body. Even though I don’t like dogs, I don’t go out and ax them to death. I consider burying him but I don’t have a shovel. Plus, I’m not sure I would want to pick up the pieces to bury him, so I leave him where he is so he can die in peace.

I make my way to the front part of the house. I’m not sure why I thought my luck would change, but the front door is locked too.

I take my ax — which I can now only hold in my right hand — and strike down hard on the doorknob. To my surprise, the knob breaks in half and falls to the ground. I try to push open the door but realize I’ve done more harm than good. Now I’m unable to open the door at all unless I smash my way through it.

I could take the time and energy to do this but is it really worth it to stay at this dump? It’s the smallest house on the road and there are better options nearby. Also, I don’t think I’d want to sleep here knowing Cujo’s rotting corpse is only a few yards away, so I pack up and leave for somewhere better.

There are a few houses nearby but off in the distance I see a beautiful log cabin. The moment my eyes see it I’m drawn to it and know that’s where I want to be tonight.

Before I go, I take one final look at Cujo to make sure there’s no life left in him. I’m not sure why, but even though he’s clearly dead, being anywhere near him scares me. I guess it’s from seeing scary movies where the villain always comes back to life.

I know I want to get as far away from him as possible, so I start walking toward the cabin on the hill.

It’s not far, maybe only a ten-minute walk before I get there. The house has several beautiful glass windows that complement its wooden frame.

At the bottom is the basement with a glass door, the perfect style for breaking and entering.

I take my ax and, without using full force, swing at it until I hit it hard enough to crack the glass. I try to be as careful as possible so the glass doesn’t fly back and hit me. After a few minutes, I’m able to get through and step inside.

The basement is quite nice with a billiards table and a big screen with surrounding couches. If this was my house I’d set it up to look exactly like this, with the exception of the animal heads and other deer apparel hanging from the walls.

Over in the back corner, I see something I’ve longed for these past couple days. My eyes open wide when I see it — a gun rack!

All of my pain and injuries don’t prevent me from rushing over to see what kind of artillery they have. The gun rack is locked but I don’t hesitate for a second to take my ax and break into the glass center, giving me access to the goodies inside.

Glass flies back and I’m lucky nothing hits me. There are six shotguns, all black and of various sizes. I don’t have the faintest idea of the differences between these guns, so I grab the big one in the middle.

The gun is heavier than I expect, and I feel a huge rush of disappointment. I know I can’t pick it up with one arm, so I’ll have no chance of shooting it unless my left arm starts to get better. Perhaps I’ll try tomorrow morning.

At the bottom of the gun rack is a drawer, which is also locked. This must be where the ammo is stored. I think it’s best I don’t chop my way into it with the ax. I don’t know what happens when a blade strikes bullets but I don’t want to find out.

Instead, I look around for a key. If I were a parent, where would I hide it? It’s not a question I can relate to, because if I had children I’d be too scared to have a gun in the house. Thinking of it from the owner’s point of view, though, I look in a few drawers nearby. After finding nothing, I look behind the gun rack to see if there’s a hidden pocket, but there isn’t. Then, I reach up at the top.

Much to my surprise, my hand knocks a pair of keys to the floor. Feeling like a kid who just found the stash of Christmas presents, I squat down to pick up the keys, ignoring the pain in my side.

I unlock the bottom drawer and, just as I guessed, there are boxes of ammunition. What I didn’t expect, though, are several dirty magazines and videos tucked underneath the ammo. Looks like I found dad’s secret porno stash.

There are three boxes, each with different types of bullets. I don’t have the first clue what bullets go with each gun. This is a puzzle I’ll have to piece together tomorrow.

I make my way upstairs to check out the rest of the house. I’m not the outdoorsy type, but I could see myself living in a place like this. It has that warm, cozy feeling that makes you want to wrap yourself up in a fur blanket and sit next to the fireplace.

The main floor is basically just a family room, kitchen, and dining room. The stairs must lead to the bedrooms, so that’s where I go next.

When I enter the master bedroom I see it’s quite large and very beautiful. The bathroom has a Jacuzzi tub and a large shower. Everything I’ve seen so far is clean and tidy as if this was a luxury resort.

Being in the bathroom, a great idea occurs to me. I go through drawers until I find what I’m looking for — a nearly full bottle of painkillers.

I try the sink but no water comes out, so I pull a bottle of water out of my pocket. I pop open the bottle of pills and am surprised by how easy it is with only one hand. The directions say I can take up to six or eight in a day. I think it means they should be spaced out throughout the day, but that doesn’t stop me from stuffing eight of them in my mouth at once. I close the lid and stick the bottle in my pocket. I’m going to become very familiar with these pills over the next few days.

Back in the bedroom, there’s a sliding glass door that opens to a balcony. Of everything I’ve seen, this might be my favorite part of the house. I could see myself waking up every morning and coming out here to soak in nature with a book and a cup of coffee. You can see the highway off in the distance, which takes a little away from the view. Overall, though, it’s very beautiful.

The sun is starting to go down. Before too long I won’t be able to see where I’m going in the house, so I rush to look for a flashlight. In the previous house I found one in the kitchen, so I begin there. I turn out all of the drawers I can, but I’m less successful this time.

I then begin opening closet doors, bathroom drawers, table drawers, and everywhere else I’d think likely to have a flashlight, but nothing turns up. My search goes on for twenty more minutes before I decide I’m out of luck.

It’s not particularly important that I find a flashlight; it would just give me a couple more hours to explore the house. I have all day tomorrow to do that.

I make my way back up to the master bedroom and step outside onto the balcony. It’s cool but pleasant. The moon gives off just enough light to make it enjoyable.

I sit down on one of the chairs and think about what a crazy day it’s been. Twenty-four hours ago I didn’t have a cracked rib, destroyed body, and a totaled car left on the side of the road. I thought I’d be in Mobile now – in a house looking over the water.

Instead, I’m not really sure what town I’m in or even what state for that matter. I’m hungry, but not enough to motivate me to go downstairs to look for food.

I sit on the deck for about two hours, reflecting more on these past few days and, as I always do, Abby. Tonight is the first night I’ve had doubts that she’s out there alive. Maybe she — along with everyone else — has disappeared, never to be seen again.

Thinking about it is too depressing. I’ve always been one to ignore my emotions if they were unpleasant. Instead, I think about my plans for tomorrow.

The first thing I need to do is look for a mode of transportation. Hopefully they have a couple nice vehicles tucked away in the garage with the keys left around somewhere.

If that proves to be the case, I’ll go back to Abby’s car to pick up my supplies. Then, I’ll stay here for the day. After all, I can’t just head toward Mobile yet; I don’t have enough gas to get me there. Instead, I’ll take my time and allow myself to heal.

Tomorrow will be a nice, easy day of healing with no drama. Of course, plans during the past few days have had a mysterious way of changing.

Chapter 16

When I wake up in the morning I feel groggy. It was a restless sleep for one simple reason — pain.

My arm and cracked ribs feel about the same, but my shoulder, back, neck, and head all feel worse. The car crash must have done more damage than I realized.

I don’t feel like getting out of bed, and for the next hour I just lie there. The only thing that finally gets me up is my uncontrollable hunger.

Every step I take is met with pain from countless parts of my body. I go to the bathroom and take four painkillers to start. I don’t care what the recommended dose is; I will be exceeding that today.

I go downstairs to assess my breakfast options. I take for granted there will be cereal and, like every time before, they do have a nice selection. I make myself a bowl and go upstairs to enjoy it from my favorite patio. It’s not until I sit down when I think about one crucial detail — time. What time is it?

As painful as it is, I get up again and start looking for a clock or watch. Without electricity, I know all of the normal places won’t work. I start looking through bedside drawers for an old watch, but there aren’t any. Then I open up a jewelry box and, sure enough, there’s a beautiful women’s watch with the time saying nine thirty.

“Damn it, I’ve missed it.”

I don’t know the exact time the black car comes each day, or if it even comes at a precise time. My guess, though, is it comes around nine or a quarter to nine, which means while I was wallowing in bed for an hour I could have been watching the highway to see if it drove by.

I go back outside and watch the highway anyway – just in case they’re late today – but for the next forty-five minutes I see nothing. I go back inside and take a nap.

When I get up, I feel better but not much. I look through the jewelry box and see the woman in the house is loaded with diamonds. I’ve only made a few diamond purchases for Abby, but I know enough to make an educated guess there’s about seventy-five thousand dollars in jewelry in this little box alone.

At this point, the smell of my body odor is starting to get to me. I feel slimy and disgusting and would give anything for a shower. My bottled water is too precious to use for bath water now, but I make it a priority today to find a lake or pond. There has to be one somewhere around here.

I make my way downstairs to see what the garage looks like. Before opening the door that leads to it, I see the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen — a key chain rack is hanging on the wall to the right with one set of keys. I open the door and try to push on the garage door opener. No matter how many days go by, I still can’t get used to there being no electricity.

It’s hard to see anything, but I can tell there are two vehicles in there. Opening the garage door is going to be a real challenge with the kind of pain I’m in. Nevertheless, I walk over — tripping over a few boxes in the process — and pull on the emergency lock.

Then I go over to the garage door and, despite all the pain, reach down and pull it open with my one good arm. Thankfully, this door is the easiest garage door I’ve ever opened manually. If it worked like the one at my house, I’m not sure I would have been able to open it.

Now that it’s up and I have light, I see they have a black Honda Accord and a big, white Escalade SUV. As much as I would like to take the Escalade for a spin, I know gas is at a premium and I should only use the Accord.

The keychain has two electronic lock buttons. I test out both and confirm they are for both sets of cars. I still roll my Cavalier’s windows up and down by hand, so being able to unlock these doors with the push of a button is quite exhilarating for me.

I open the Accord door and, after trying a few different keys, find the right one to turn on the ignition. I’m pleased when I see the gas tank is about eighty percent full. I’m also excited about performing my next illegal activity – my first car theft!

I back out of the garage, leaving the door up, and make my way down the steep, gravel driveway. When I get to the end, I think about whether I want to drive over to the little white house to see what Cujo looks like this morning. I decide I don’t, not yet anyway.

I’m unsure of what to expect when I do see him. If it were a normal time in a normal world, my guess is there would be buzzards or other creatures feasting on his decayed body. Not a pretty thought, but in the animal kingdom there are a lot of things happening that humans would find unpleasant.

To get back on the highway, I make a left out of the driveway and continue to go straight. If I wanted to get to the house where I killed Cujo, I would need to make a right turn just before reaching the highway.

I still look both ways for ongoing traffic and realize I’m a more paranoid driver than usual — recently totaling a car will do that to you. Also, driving on the opposite side of the road feels odd, but I need to because I’m not exactly certain of where I wrecked and being on this side makes it easier to look.

Like with any new car I drive, I like to test it out by seeing how much faster it accelerates than my Cavalier. The Honda Accord doesn’t disappoint, and in no time I reach sixty miles per hour.

I’m dreading going all the way back to where my car crashed until I realize how much faster I’ll be able to get there. Yesterday was several hours of miserable walking with supplies strapped to me. Today will be a quick ten or fifteen minute drive sitting on my battered and bruised behind.

I make my way up the hill, which doesn’t seem quite as large as it did yesterday. I can’t help but have memories of rain and storms. I think about the tree that was struck with lightning. It was easily one of the most frightening experiences of my life as it sounded like a bomb went off next to me.

I slow down when I’m near where I think the tree is, but I can’t remember which one it was. I do remember it was still standing after it was hit so it should be here somewhere. If I looked hard I’m sure I could find it, but I don’t really care that much so I move on. I’ll have a better view on the way back.

After about ten minutes, I see no sign of where I wrecked. I know I tumbled down a hill, but the land off the highway is one giant hill for miles. It should be close, though, and I expect it to be easy to spot when I get there. A few more miles pass and I see nothing, which makes me start to worry. Did I miss it? There’s no way I could have.

Another five miles pass, and now I know I must have missed it. It couldn’t have been this far, but I decide to give it five more miles before I turn around.

I don’t make it the full five miles, though, before I realize I’ve gone too far. Off the highway, I see a quirky little clown statue I remember seeing before I wrecked. Why it’s there and how it got there I have no idea. All I remember is how annoyed I was seeing the jolly look on its face at a time when I wasn’t so jolly.

I make a U-turn and try to think how far it was after this statue when I wrecked. It’s so hard to remember. Being knocked unconscious must have done something to my memory, but I don’t think it was soon after here.

After a few minutes, I slow down to around forty miles per hour so I can make sure I don’t miss seeing it this time. I look for tire tracks and the pieces of my car that came flying off on the way down.

A few more minutes pass, and there’s still no sight of it. I’ll know when I reach the big hill I’ve gone too far. It took a few hours to walk there, which means it was at least three to five miles from where I wrecked.

Sure enough, when I look forward I see the hill in the distance. I may have forgotten where I wrecked, but I know for sure that’s the correct hill. That means I either passed Abby’s car again or it’s right here somewhere. I pull the car over and get out for a closer look.

I don’t see it anywhere so I turn around and start driving back. I get out of the car again for another inspection.

At first I don’t see it, but the more I look, a realization occurs to me. This is where I wrecked. I’m standing in the exact spot where I went off the road. No, there aren’t any tire tracks. No pieces of Abby’s BMW on the ground and, most importantly, none of the supplies I desperately want and need. But, I know for sure this is where it happened. After the wreck when I began my walk to the cabin, I stood right here and looked back, and I can tell from the landscape that this is the spot.

How can this be? Where did Abby’s car go? I walk down the hill wondering why there isn’t a guardrail here. It’s a pretty steep hill to have nothing to protect oncoming cars from falling down it.

Once I walk down the hill, I stand on the spot where I think my car was and look back up at the road. This further confirms my belief that this is where my car was.

This realization freaks me out. If it’s not here, then somebody must have taken it. That doesn’t make sense, though, because I can understand someone taking the car, maybe even all of the scraps that came off, but there’s no way they could have gotten rid of all the tire tracks and trampled ground from the car flipping over. This area was a disaster yesterday, but now there isn’t a blade of grass out of place. All the money and lawn resources in the world couldn’t have fixed this in one day. Things just keep getting stranger.

I walk back up the hill, noticing my painkillers are starting to wear off. Every step shoots pain throughout my body. I just want to get back to the cabin and take a nap, so I get in my car and turn on the ignition.

I’m a little anxious when I start the car. If it doesn’t work and I’m stuck here, I think I’ll push it down the hill then run in front of it so it can end my misery.

The car starts just fine, though, and I get to continue living for now. When I take off I make my way up my least favorite hill of all time. I look again for the tree that was hit by lightning. I’m not sure what would be stranger, if the tree was still in bad shape or if it magically disappeared like the car. Regardless, I keep a close eye out for trees once I get to the top of the hill. I drive slow and look but none of the trees I see look like they’ve been struck by lightning recently.

Whether that means the tree is repaired, or I’m just not looking in the right spot, I’m not sure. Either way, I drive down the hill thinking more about what happened to Abby’s car.

When I find my turn off of the highway, I decide I must know what Cujo looks like today. Did he disappear too? If so, that means somebody may be very close to my cabin, which would make me feel very unsafe.

Until now, I’ve forgotten that I left my gun and ax at the house. The gun would still be difficult to use given the state of my left arm, but the ax would be better than nothing — I’m a proven killing machine with that thing. I’m surprised I forgot to take it with me.

I make a left onto the road that takes me to Cujo. Once I get past a series of trees, I get my first glimpse of the house. When I look over, Cujo is still lying there mangled and beaten to death exactly as I left him. I pull up in the driveway to get a closer look. A rush of guilt pours over me again knowing it was me who did this.

One interesting observation I see is there are no flies around him. I’ve seen a few dead animals before, and there are always a million flies swarming around. With Cujo though there’s nothing around.

I consider getting out of my car for a closer look, but I think I’ve seen enough. The last thing I want to happen is to get out of my car defenseless and have a Cujo #2 come bounding over the hill. Instead, I turn around and make my way back to the cabin.

Knowing what I know now, I think I should have made the effort to shut the garage door. I feel unsafe having left it up with the door unlocked. Then I remember I smashed open the door that leads to the basement, so if someone wanted to get in the house they wouldn’t have any trouble anyways.

I’ve only stayed at this place one night, but it feels like home. I love the layout; it was as if I designed it myself. While I’m here today there are three things I want to accomplish: take painkillers, nap, and bathe.

I have two bottles of water left, but I haven’t checked the house fully to see if there are more. I look in the pantry then go back in the garage to see if I missed them sitting on the floor somewhere, but they aren’t there either.

I remember the basement had a little bar area, so I go down and look around.

Wow, there’s a ton of booze down here — probably around forty different bottles of whiskey, gin, vodka, and rum. They also have a couple warm bottles of ginger ale soda, which I know from my family get-togethers are an essential ingredient for a good cocktail.

No bottles of water though.

The idea of sitting here and getting slammed is tempting. It would sure put me in a better mood and dull some of my pain. However, I know the alcohol would only dehydrate me more and make me go through my precious two-bottle water supply sooner.

I decide there’s always room for compromise, so I pour myself a shot of the best-looking vodka they have. The burn in my throat feels good, tempting me to pour another shot. I know this is a very bad idea though so I put the bottle back under the bar and go upstairs before I change my mind.

I look around some more but can’t find any more bottles of water. So I head back up to the master bedroom and cozy myself into bed. When I close my eyes I think about how unsettling it is being in a complete stranger’s bed. Who knows what went on here and the last time the sheets were cleaned. It’s gross to think about, so I try to forget about it. I feel the fatigue start to set in. Yesterday was the most stressful day of my life and I think my body is still trying to recover from it both mentally and physically. It’s only a few minutes before I drift off to sleep.

I don’t remember the entire dream — or nightmare I should say — but at the end a man in all black with a shadow for a face pushes Abby over the edge of what looks like a cliff. I can see her falling to the ground, terror in her eyes. Right as she’s about to hit the ground I wake up, back into the world of consciousness.

The pain I feel in my ribs is the worst it has ever been. My rest hasn’t made me feel any better.

I’ve had nightmares for as long as I can remember. Most of them stem from my fear of being shot. It’s not that I feel being shot would be a terrible way to die; in fact, being shot in the head is probably one of the most painless ways to go (besides naturally dying in your sleep, of course).

I think it’s the fear building up to being shot I hate. Seeing an evil person holding a gun at you, and you know death is lurking. That’s the part I don’t like. Abby certainly knows how many bad dreams I’ve had in our years sleeping beside each other. I’ve woken her up countless times in the middle of the night screaming.

I’ve had several dreams where Abby gets shot. I’ve never told her this because I don’t want to scare her, so I always tell her it’s me getting shot. This is the first time I’ve ever had a dream of her getting pushed off a cliff though.

Now that I’m awake, I wonder how long I’ve been asleep. It seems like it’s been forever and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the next day. I go to the bathroom and still think it’s weird the toilet flushes. It makes me feel good, like there’s a tiny part of the world that is still functioning.

I take four more painkillers, sipping on as little water as I can to conserve it for later. I suppose if it comes down to it I can start drinking from the toilet, but I’m not ready to go that route yet and hope I never do.

It’s a bit depressing knowing I have to go through the same routine again to get food and supplies. And, this time I don’t have the comfort of knowing where I’m going. I don’t have the faintest clue where a grocery store is and no way of finding one without wasting precious fuel. Topping it all off, I’m miserable — absolutely miserable with pain in so many areas on my body it’s almost laughable.

I make my way downstairs for a bite to eat. The food options are lacking without a functional microwave so I settle for a half-empty jar of peanut butter. It’s not the most nutritionally balanced meal but it fills me up.

As I’m eating, I realize I still haven’t even looked out and seen the backyard. I get up from the table and put the peanut butter back in the pantry and my spoon in the sink; I’m a classy houseguest.

I can’t find a door that leads to the backyard so I make my way out through the garage — taking my ax just in case. The backyard is small and leads to woods that I can only imagine go back for a long way.

In the middle is a playground set. I never did open all of the doors upstairs to look inside. It looks new, so they must have a younger child.

The kid inside of me can’t help but go over and play on the swings. My butt barely fits in them and when I put all of my weight down I feel the top start to creak and bend. Maybe this isn’t a good idea.

I walk to the end of the backyard and then I see it, a small creek! Never in my life have I been this excited to see a creek. I can finally bathe and get rid of this awful body odor. I walk down and feel the water; it’s cool but not too bad.

I race my way back into the house to grab a couple towels, shampoo, and soap. As I walk past the kitchen on my way back out, I think about whether this water is something I can drink. I’m not sure, but my guess is it won’t kill me. I’d rather have some dirty water than nothing at all. I grab a bottle from one of the cabinets and make my way back to the creek.

Before I bathe, I decide it’s a good idea to fill my water bottle up first. As disgusting as I am, one bath will probably contaminate this entire creek.

I fill it up and decide to take a drink to see what it tastes like. If it’s just a small sip, how much harm can it do?

The water is cool to my lips, but tastes like the standard water you would get from the tap. I take another sip for good measure and decide this is likely more than adequate drinking water. I only wish I would have grabbed more bottles, but I’m too lazy to go back.

As I strip down naked, a new feeling excites me. I’ve never been completely naked out in the open like this before. Not that I’m ashamed of my body, but I can’t help feeling a little scared of someone coming by and seeing me.

It’s a warm day but the wind is cold. A gust blows by and gives me goose bumps throughout my body. I step into the creek, which is only a couple feet deep, and get down on my knees to submerge as much of my skin as possible. The soap feels amazing as I cleanse myself. The cold water also numbs some of my pain.

When I’m done I feel great, the best I have in days. It’s amazing how much your mood and body improve after bathing. I wrap myself in towels and dry off, then put my clothes back on. I do a full walk around the house to see if there are any other hidden gems I’ve been missing. They have a huge satellite dish in their side yard, which gets me excited until I remember it’s not much use without a functional TV. My tour ends when I make my way all the way around the house and into the garage. I put my supplies — except for my ax — into the house and decide it’s nice enough outside to enjoy the fresh air. Before I go out, though, I open the car door to check the time – two o’clock.

I think back to my cat theory. If it’s true, then a couple hours from now I’ll have a little visitor. I think if that happens, my strange theory will be finalized. There isn’t a living, breathing creature in sight from what I can tell. No ants crawling, no bugs flying through the air. No birds chirping. No fish in the creek.

It all seems very strange and unnatural, considering this cabin is surrounded by the woods. Granted, I don’t have much experience living in this type of environment. I’ve been a city boy all of my life. I have enough intuition though to know it shouldn’t be hard to find some kind of living creature if you spend enough time in the woods, so that’s what I try to do. Not that it really matters if I find something or not, it’s more to strike my curiosity.

I go to the creek and find a series of rocks I can walk across without getting too wet. I make my way over the water and now officially into the woods — ax in hand — looking for any signs of life. I’d be much safer with a gun, even if I would have trouble holding it, but I’m too lazy to walk back and get it. I don’t plan on going far.

I already know it’s easy to get lost in the woods. Unless I had a compass, it would be very difficult to find my way back. As long as I’m within eyesight of the creek though I can’t get lost.

I look at a tree next to me, trying to find a little creature crawling his way around, but I don’t see anything. I kick away some of the leaves beneath me and squat down to get a better look, but I still don’t see anything. If I were a bug living in the woods, where would I go?

Far in the distance, about one hundred yards away, I see a rather large log from a tree that fell over. There has to be something living underneath it. I make my way over, looking back and seeing the creek starting to fade from view. This reaffirms my understanding of how easy it is for someone to get lost out here. If you don’t pay strict attention to what direction you’re going, everything looks the same and it’s impossible to know where to go.

This log has taken me much farther into the woods than I was planning, but I feel it’s worth it. It’s surrounded by a bunch of leaves and sticks. It seems impossible these naturally came to be here. Either my cabin friends came out here and did this or a very large animal did. Somehow the latter doesn’t seem likely unless maybe a bear did it. Could a bear be hibernating underneath this?

The thought scares me, but not enough to make me leave. If there is a bear, it’s in a deep sleep giving me enough time to run or take a good swipe at its head with my ax. I’m Andrew the Cujo-slayer, after all.

I start kicking away branches with my feet and then realize these piles of branches are covering something up. It’s a huge hole! It’s hard to tell how deep, but it’s quite far. With every stick I move out of the way, I notice a strong odor coming from it. My sense of smell is terrible but this is even unbearable to me.

When I move enough branches out of the way, I look down and see what’s there. When I do my mouth gasps at what I see.

A dead, decomposing human body.

Chapter 17

Of all of the things I was expecting to find, a human body was at the bottom of my list. I’ve never seen a dead body before other than at a funeral. I know after a few days they look almost the same. I can’t even tell if this body was male or female because it’s so heavily decomposed. All I know is it was human, which means its been here a long time.

The sight and smell are so disgusting I have to turn away. It still strikes me as odd that, like Cujo, no living thing is feasting on the body. It’s gross to think about but I know that on any other normal day this would be the case.

I step away, deciding I have no more interest in this hole and body. It’s more excitement than I was expecting to get out here.

When I look up, my heart goes into a panic. I’m lost. Seeing the body made me lose my sense of direction. I didn’t realize it, but I’m far enough out that I have no idea in what direction the creek is.

I look around, trying to find anything that looks familiar, but there’s nothing. Why did I do this to myself? I knew I would get lost if I went too far.

Using my intuition, I take a guess at which direction leads back to the cabin. You would think it would be easy, that there would be some tree or anything unique to remind me where to go, but there isn’t.

I start walking, and it’s not long before doubt starts to creep in that I’m going the right way. Nothing looks familiar, nor is there any sign of the cabin.

If I was a little panicked before, this has kicked it up to a whole new level. For all I know, I could be walking even further into the woods.

I look up at the sun as if this would somehow help. I know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but that does me little good when I don’t know what direction I came from.

I’m so upset with myself for being so stupid. In hindsight, I should have paid attention to what direction I was going. I never thought I would go out this far though.

I turn around and make my way back to the body. If I can use that as my base point, I can walk in each direction for a hundred yards or so until I find anything that looks familiar. Yes, if I can do that I’ll be sure to get back to the cabin.

When I walk back, I realize the body should be around here somewhere. I look all around, but it isn’t here. It’s disappeared, and now I really have no clue where I am or what to do.

Thinking I should start being a little smarter, I take my ax and make several cuts into the tree next to me. This will mark my starting point.

I choose a random direction and after every other tree I pass I make a new cut in it with my ax. If a park ranger were here they would cringe with each blow. I make two eye-level cuts with each tree, deciding if I go on a new path later I’ll make a different type of cut.

I think to myself, all I have to do is walk in each direction making these tree cuts and eventually I’ll head in a direction that leads me out. I feel like such a genius. Why didn’t I do this originally?

I proceed to go what seems like forever until I give up and turn around. Walking back is relatively easy, although some of the tree marks are difficult to find and I almost get lost again.

When I get to my base tree, I proceed to go in the complete opposite direction as before, this time making one mark at the bottom of each tree. With this path I go farther than I did on the previous one, but there’s still no sign of the creek or the cabin so I turn around again.

Once I get to my base tree, doubt creeps in whether this is going to work. Putting ax marks into trees is starting to become exhausting so I sit down to catch my breath. I have to get out of here before nightfall. There’s no way I want to be stuck here all night. I’ve never been the type who wants to go camping in the woods; the thought is downright terrifying. Even though I haven’t seen any animals or bugs, the possibility of a bear coming and attacking me in my sleep is enough to keep me awake all night.

With this added motivation, I stand up and make a new path. This direction is lateral to my previous trails. I chop through this trail faster than the previous two, but I still get the same results. When I turn around again and make it back to my base tree, I start to get nervous but excited. I’m optimistic that the next path will lead me out of here; it has to. On each path I’ve taken, I’ve gone far enough that it should have gotten me out if I was going in the right direction. The first three trails though haven’t brought even a glimpse of anything new. It’s been one huge, flat area of land. No bugs. No grass. Just trees randomly placed everywhere.

On my previous trail, I made high marks, so now I have trails with low, middle, and high marks. For this final trail, I consider not even making marks. My confidence is high that if I continue going in this final direction I’ll make it out of here. My better judgment understands that stupidity is what got me here in the first place, though, so I make two marks, one in the middle and one below for this new path.

When I make my way through this final path, I go as far as I have with the previous three but still see no signs of the cabin or the woods ending. I continue walking, going much farther than I have with any of the previous trails. I reach a point where I know there’s no possible way I went this far into the woods. My body collapses down by the nearest tree.

My plan has failed. One of the four paths I took should have taken me out of here. The only thing I can do now is continue going further with the paths I’ve already taken, but I have strong doubts this will make a difference. Is this some magical forest that’s impossible to get out of? With the way things have gone lately, nothing would surprise me. Whoever hid the body I found earlier put it in a safe spot; there’s no getting out of here.

Lying next to this tree, I realize just how exhausted I am. I’ve done a lot of tree chopping. I close my eyes and try to relax myself as much as possible, but I know there’s very little hope left of making it out of here today.

As I keep my eyes closed, minutes go by and I begin to wonder how much daylight I have left. How long have I been stuck out in these woods? I get my answer when I feel something brush up against my leg.

“Meow.”

I’m startled by what I see when I open my eyes.

“Hey little Tabby, where did you come from?”

Getting lost in the woods, I had completely forgotten about my black cat theory. Before I went in the woods, I was planning on sitting outside in the cabin’s backyard to see if a cat would arrive. In a way, I’m glad it happened this way. Now I know without a doubt my theories are true. There’s no way a freakin’ cat would be here unless I was in some fantasy world.

Tabby rubs her face against my leg, which I have to admit is pretty cute. This lifts my spirits — who knew the company of a magical mystery cat could cheer me up this much.

I start petting her, which she seems to like because she starts purring. I do this for a couple minutes and then I realize this is the first time during these past few days she’s allowed me to pet her. Every other time she’s been too scared for me to get anywhere near her. This time she doesn’t seem to want to leave!

I continue sitting by the tree and as I do, Tabby lies on my lap and takes a nap. I didn’t know it was possible for cats to purr while they sleep but she proves to me they can.

As much as I would love to lie here for the next couple hours and take a nap, I really don’t want to spend the night in the middle of the forest. If I don’t get a move on it, then that’s exactly what I’m going to end up doing. There’s only a few hours of daylight left.

I have to admit, Cujo is another thing that’s been crossing my mind. Will he still come even if he’s dead? From what I can tell, he has shown up around six o’clock everyday. Tabby’s appearance proves it doesn’t matter where I am; Cujo will always come. With just an ax and one good arm to protect myself, I wouldn’t have a chance to fight him off today. I’m also not a tree climber, so I don’t have the option of heading for safer grounds.

To sum it up, I’m screwed if Cujo does come. If I can get to the cabin within the next two hours, I can grab a gun to protect myself.

I pull the little kitty off of me, feeling bad I woke her from her peaceful sleep. She seems to wake up quickly though and lets out a big stretch. On the last two paths I took, I went much farther than the first two. I figure my best course of action would be to turn back to the base tree and go down that first path again, this time going farther.

I get to my feet and shout out in pain, as I have to move my ribs in order to accomplish this. I take a step forward but once I do, Tabby runs out in front of me and I almost step on her.

“Watch where you’re going!”

I step over her and continue walking but she moves ahead of me again and starts hissing. I don’t have much experience with cats but I do know if they hiss at you, you’re in trouble. While cats and dogs may come in small sizes, they can be pretty vicious when they get upset.

“What do you want from me?”

I try to walk around her again, but she seems determined to prevent me from going this way. It can’t be normal for a cat to do something like this. I make one last attempt to go around her, but she jumps up at me and starts hissing again.

“Seriously, what is your problem?”

The cat walks up and rubs its face against me. I’m annoyed so I find it less cute this time, but then she starts walking behind me. She’s walking a little to the right of the last trail I was going then turns around and looks at me.

“What do you want me to do, follow you?”

This is ludicrous; I’m not going to follow a cat. It’s probably just looking for a good spot to poop. Besides, if I get lost — cat or no cat — it could be days before I figure a way out and by then I might die.

Nevertheless, the thought of going back and continuing down trails I’ve already made sounds exhausting. I’d rather be completely lost with Tabby than be stuck alone in the woods again. I walk toward her just to see what she will do. Sure enough, this crazy black cat that appeared out of thin air wants me to follow her like she’s the leader and I’m just a little boy scout.

Cats were made to live outside, so I’m sure they have better survival instincts than I do. It’s like birds that have internal GPS systems they use to travel south every year. Animals can do some extraordinary things without the use of human technology.

As I walk toward her she keeps about a ten-yard pace ahead of me, never looking back. I stop walking for a moment just to see what she’ll do. Sure enough, she turns around almost instantaneously and starts meowing at me. How incredible and weird this is.

We walk together for what seems like forever when I see it, the end of the forest. My pace picks up as Tabby runs forward. By the time I catch up to her again she’s lapping up water from the creek I bathed in a few hours earlier. I look up and see the familiar cabin. I did it! Well… we did it. I’m never going back in those woods again!

I squat down and pet her as she continues lapping up water.

“Good kitty. Good girl!”

I used to hate cats but now I will have a lifetime appreciation for them. I’m not sure if I ever would have made it out of the woods without my furry friend. Knowing where I am now, I realize I would have had to go a long way down my four paths before getting out of the woods. There’s no way I would have made it out today.

I make my way to the garage to check the time, Tabby runs along next to me. I open the car door and check the internal clock – a quarter after five.

That means I have around forty-five minutes — give or take fifteen minutes — before my friend Cujo is supposed to arrive. That’s just enough time to get myself prepared and ready. My left arm still hurts, but I think I can bend it enough to aim a gun at him.

I go downstairs to grab the gun. It takes awhile but I figure out how to open up the chamber. As for bullets, I take the first box I see and put one in the chamber to see if it fits. To me, it looks like it fits fine, but I really have no idea. Guess I’ll find out — I load the gun and make my way upstairs.

I decide I’ll stand by the garage door and wait for him. If he comes after me, I’ll be able to get one good shot in. If I miss, I can go back in the house and close the door. He can sit out there and bark all night. As long as I keep the outside and basement doors closed, there’s no way he can get inside no matter how angry he is. This is all assuming I miss, but I don’t plan on missing.

I stand by the door and wait, gun in hand, ready to fire. The cat continues to purr and rub against my leg, obviously not understanding the seriousness of the situation. This is added motivation to hit Cujo with the shot I have. If I miss and he attacks Tabby I’ll be like a mother protecting her young.

Minutes go by with no sign of Cujo. It has to be about time for him to arrive. I go to the car to check the time, making sure to watch my back. It’s a quarter after six. If he’s going to come, it should be very soon.

Feeling more daring, I go out of the garage to look around. Maybe he’s hiding. I wait for what seems like forever, my heart beating out of my chest with nervous excitement, but he never comes. I go back to the car and see it’s now six thirty. I know for sure in previous days he came before this. It looks like he isn’t going to come.

Since I have my gun, I might as well have some fun while I’m out here. I really want to shoot this thing no matter how much my arm hurts. I go out of the garage and look for something to use as a target. I don’t see anything other than trees and cabin to shoot at. Cabin it is!

I make sure to get a good distance away and aim for the corner of the garage. I’m tired of shooting trees.

I put the gun into my right shoulder and stretch out my left arm as far as it will allow me. When I pull the trigger, my shoulder blasts back. The sound is much louder than I anticipate as smoke goes up in the air. When it dissipates I get to see the damage I’ve caused.

“Awesome!”

There’s a decent little hole in the side of the garage. This is what I’ve been waiting for! I’ve even managed to avoid shooting my eye out. It’s tempting to go on a shooting rampage, but I better not press my luck, so I head back inside.

As I eat a wondrous bowl of cereal for the umpteenth time in the last few days, my mind drifts to Cujo. I really thought he’d come back to life and attack me again. After all, he’s always been there around six o’clock, as I painfully know. It doesn’t matter how far I travel — from Ohio to Tennessee to… wherever the hell I am now — he’s somehow managed to follow me.

The same thing with Tabby, who has her head rested against my foot sleeping. I’m loving this precious little kitty more and more. It’s so strange how she seemed to appear out of thin air in the woods. I wish I’d had my eyes open to see if that’s exactly what happened.

What will happen if she’s with me the next twenty-four hours? At four o’clock will there be two kitties? I don’t think I can handle twins yet.

Then there’s the black car. That black fucking car with nobody inside of it. At first, I thought it was some self-driving technology car programmed by a human being messing with me. Now I would bet more money that it’s another magical mystery with no good explanation.

If I see that car tomorrow, I plan on crashing into the damn thing just to see what happens. If this is all a prank, somebody is in for an entertaining day tomorrow.

Darkness sets in so I put my bowl in the sink, still too lazy to put it in the dishwasher, then make my way upstairs to the master bedroom. My furry friend is still scampering beside me.

My king size bed is there waiting for me, sheets untucked just as I like them. Before I lie in bed, I go out to the balcony and think about the day and the last week. As I sit on the chair and look out at the full moon, Tabby hops onto my lap and begins purring while I pet her.

I wish I had a functional alarm clock. I want to make sure I have enough time to pay my black car a visit. I get the idea to shoot at one of their tires. This seems better than slamming into it with my car. I’m a lousy shot but if it drives right past me I’m sure I could at least hit it.

“How does that sound to you, Tabby?”

She looks up at me with a confused look.

“Come on, let’s go inside and go to bed.”

When I tuck myself in, I still sleep on the right side. Even though I have all of this extra space, I can’t break the habit of sleeping next to Abby. The cat hops up to bed with me and lies down on the left side, giving me another reason not to sleep in the middle.

I thought today was going to be a relaxing day of recovery but, again, it was for from it. As my head hits the pillow, my thoughts about the day and the week seem to fade. All that’s left are thoughts of Abby. I have more and more doubts if she — like everyone else — is on this planet. I know she’s somewhere out there though, even if it’s only in spirit.

And with that thought, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, Tabby lying by my side.

Chapter 18

I’m awakened in the morning not by the sunlight coming in, but by the feeling of a cat licking my face. Most people would find this gross, but I think it’s adorable.

“What do you think, Tabby? Is today going to be a good day?” I ask as I look at her.

I wouldn’t call it a meow, but she does give off some kind of chirp sound. Of course, that could be her way of telling me to put her down.

Holding her makes me realize my left arm feels much better today. It still hurts but at least I can extend it all the way out. My entire body is much improved. If yesterday was a nine out of ten on the pain scale, today is more like a four.

With no time to waste if I want to see the black car, I make my way downstairs to check the time. Seven thirty in the morning — just enough time to eat and get my supplies ready.

Tabby comes downstairs and it occurs to me she hasn’t eaten anything since I’ve seen her. She drank what seemed like the entire creek yesterday, which was filled with six days worth of my body odor. Maybe I shouldn’t have let her lick my face.

“Poor Tabby, you must be starving.”

I grab an extra bowl and fill it with cereal. To my surprise, when I put it down she doesn’t seem too eager to dig in. She gives it a sniff then walks away.

“What, are you not a cereal fan? I’m sorry; I don’t have any other food for you. I’ll see if I can get you some later.”

I wasn’t planning on going out to find a grocery store today but with the way my arm feels, I might. First I have a date with the black car, though.

I eat my cereal as quickly as I can and start rounding up my supplies. Ax — check. Gun with ammo — check. Water and aspirin — check.

What else do I need? If I still had my siphon I could make sure I’m all topped off, but unfortunately I don’t have that option. I’d almost forgotten about my car’s mysterious disappearance. I still have no good explanation for that. Like murder mysteries, I’ll probably never find out.

Unable to think of anything else to take with me, I make my way to the garage. As I do, Tabby rushes ahead of me to the door.

“Hey girl, I’m not sure it’s a good idea that you come for this.”

I use my foot to try to push her away, but she’s a sneaky little gal. When I close the garage door behind me she manages to get past me and jump in the car.

“You little twerp,” I say affectionately. “Alright, I guess you can come. ”

Tabby sits in the front passenger seat. When I get in I put my loaded gun and other supplies next to her. It feels very unsafe; I’m the worst parent EVER!

Anxiousness builds inside me and I tell myself to relax. After all, if I shoot and miss I can always come back the next day. This is assuming the car even comes (which there’s no guarantee of).

I turn the car on and make my way down the long gravel driveway. I check the time and it’s only eight o’clock but I want to give myself plenty of time. Most people agree it’s a good quality to be punctual, and I agree. But it can be stressful never being late.

As I make my way toward the highway, I approach the turn that leads to Cujo’s house. Waiting by the highway for an hour will drive me crazy so I decide to check up on him. When I get there, it’s hard to see where he is until I get right up next to the driveway. When I do, I see Cujo is now gone!

I have no doubt I’m looking in the right spot. As traumatic as that event was, I can probably get out and point within one inch of the spot he was laying in only a day before.

I grab my gun and get out, Tabby trying to follow along behind me.

“No, Tabby! Not this time, you stay here.”

I close the door in her face and she gives me a disapproving meow.

When I walk over, I think back to not only what Cujo looked like but the ground around him. I remember blood everywhere and thinking that a dog like that couldn’t possibly bleed that much.

I see nothing on the ground, though. Like Abby’s black BMW that vanished along with everything around it, Cujo has disappeared. He’s gone and all the blood and pieces of his body seem to be missing too.

Logically thinking, Cujo getting cleaned up seems way more possible than the car disappearing. I think, given one full day, I could have Cujo taken away and soak up enough of the blood to make the yard look good as new.

Somehow I don’t think this is what happened. If I wouldn’t have experienced the same situation with the car I may think otherwise, but I’m beginning to think it’s all just a fairy tale with no rational reason behind the things that are happening.

I look around just to make sure there isn’t even a hint of blood on the ground but there isn’t. Cujo has disappeared like the car, like everyone else. Nothing makes sense anymore.

I walk back to the car, Tabby looking at me with her little nose pressed against the window. I wonder what she’s thinking right now. When I get in she doesn’t try to come over. She stays by the passenger side window and only looks over at me for a moment before turning her attention back to the window.

I put the gun back in the passenger seat, turn the ignition on, and make my way to the highway. Tabby looks out the window, not seeming to be her regular self. I’ve known this cat for less than a day now and I’ve already become the worried parent.

When I get to the highway, there is a cross lane to make an illegal U-turn if needed. I figure this is as good a place as any to camp out. After all, I’m not sure what direction the black car will be coming from. I think back to previous days and it’s all been very random where the black car has been. Wherever I am, it finds a way to show up. It’s best that I be in a position to chase down the car from either side of the road.

I check the time again – eight thirty. I figure now is a good time to get everything in place. I take my gun and the box of bullets. If it speeds past me, I’ll only have time for one good shot — maybe two — but I want to have the bullets near me just in case.

Seeing me grab my gun seems to get Tabby out of her daze. She looks up at me like a worried mother looks at her son before leaving for military duty.

“It’s OK Tabby. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

I’ve just told my first lie to my baby. Something bad is about to happen. I’m not sure what, or if it will be bad for the car or me, but something bad is definitely going to happen soon.

Every minute I turn my head from one side of the highway to the other. To keep myself occupied, I recheck the holster to make sure the gun is locked and loaded.

Getting antsier, I check the time and see I still have twenty minutes before they should arrive. This is too much time to waste standing here so I get ready to do another test shot with the gun to make sure it’s working. The last thing I want is to be in the perfect position only to discover the safety is on or the gun isn’t firing for whatever reason.

The “No U-Turn” sign seems to be the perfect target practice. As always, I get into position far enough away that I don’t think debris will come back and hit me. I aim, this time able to stretch out my arm far enough that I can look down the barrel and properly aim. The sign is large from this distance that it only takes a second to measure it up. Then, I pull the trigger.

The gun kicks up into the air. I almost fall to the ground from the explosion. When the smoke clears I see the sign has been blasted to bits. I love this gun!

I’m glad I did the test run, because now I know I need to have a better stance to keep my balance. For this shot I was standing as if I were getting ready to walk. Instead, I now know I need to have my left foot well out in front of my right. Common sense, I’m sure, for most country boys, but I grew up without getting my hands dirty.

I’m now confident and ready for the black car. I look in the car window and see it’s 8:58. It’s amazing how time can slow down when you don’t want it to. I look down at Tabby who is staring at me with her worried face.

“I’m worried too Tabby, it’s OK.”

I turn my head from side to side every five seconds trying to find the black car. I can visualize it coming down the highway as far as I can see. It moves at breakneck speed as I get my gun ready. When it gets close, I take aim at a front tire and pull the trigger. It hits and the black car spins out of control tumbling over — finally stopping at my feet.

That’s the fairy tale scenario. If it were a week ago I might have expected it to happen like that. Now, I know even the simplest things have proven difficult.

More minutes pass but there’s no sign of the black car anywhere. It’s now time for it to be here.

The silence of the world around me is still hard to adjust to. In the regular world there’s almost always some kind of sound to distract your attention, whether it’s the TV, the radio, having a conversation, or the regular clicks and clacks you hear at work. Even when you’re outside, you hear birds or cars or something. It’s never totally silent… except for this past week.

That’s why it’s easy to hear the black car coming up behind me. It makes its way up the road I just came from. Unlike every other time I’ve seen the black car, it’s moving at the speed limit. It approaches the stop sign that leads to the highway, which is only about thirty yards from where I’m standing. Adding further to my surprise, the black car comes to a complete stop.

The car is close enough that I can see clearly there still isn’t anyone behind the wheel. It stays stopped like it’s looking at me and wondering what I’m going to do.

The truth is I have no idea what to do. This wasn’t part of the plan. I hold my gun tight in both hands, wondering if I should shoot at one of the tires. My hands are shaking but I could probably steady them enough to hit them. Something inside of me is telling me this isn’t what I should do, though.

Instead, I take one slow, careful step toward the black car. Then another. Worst case, I figure, if it speeds after me I can dodge out of the way. Since it’s so close, it can’t gain much speed at me.

I continue walking and the black car remains still. I don’t hear the engine running; does this mean it’s electrically powered? Since I’ve never seen this type of car before I can only assume that’s why it’s not making any noise.

I make my way to the driver’s side window and realize I’m afraid to even touch the car — images of being shocked to death flow through my mind. I peek inside to see if anyone’s hiding somewhere inside, but it’s empty. It’s just sitting here as if it’s off in a parking lot somewhere.

I decide I’m going to touch the car, just to see what happens and because I want to get inside. I reach my left hand out and touch the window… nothing. No electrocution, no engine kicking back on, no movement. Nothing.

I try opening the door but it’s locked. Go figure.

I’m stumped on what to do next. Should I take a shot at one of the windows? I’m so scared now I can hardly breathe. I ask myself why I’m this terrified. It’s just a car; I’m in no real danger unless it somehow self-destructs. Then I remember something said in one of my psychology classes in college discussing how we are afraid of the unknown. That’s what is making me so scared. I have no clue what this damn car is going to do next. It could transform into an alien spaceship for all I know.

My emotions turn to anger and without thinking I kick the side of the car hard.

“What the hell do you want from me?”

I look around, hoping to spot someone watching. I’ll bet they’re getting a good laugh out of this. Fortunately I don’t see anyone, because I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to let my gun loose on them. I’m no person to be messing with right now.

That’s it. I can’t take it any more. I take several steps back, a safe distance from anything that could fly back at me. I hold up my gun, aiming to make the bullet go through the driver and passenger side front windows. My hand is shaking uncontrollably as I put my finger on the trigger. Feet apart this time, taking one deep breath, I fire.

The bullet ricochets off the window and I’m fortunate it doesn’t come back and hit me. I move to the side to fire my next round. This time I shoot at the body of the car. When I look I expect to see a good size dent at least, but instead it makes a loud ding and that’s it. No visible damage to the car. I could empty out all of the bullets I have and this car would sit there and smile at me.

The last thing I can think to try is one of the tires. There’s no way a tire could be bulletproof could it? I stand back, making sure again to have a good angle so it doesn’t bounce back and kill me. I pull the trigger but instead of a loud bang, I hear a click — I’m out of bullets.

I forget this isn’t the movies where the guns have an endless supply of ammo. This is real life — or some distorted version of it.

Having no bullets in my gun I feel defenseless. This needs to be corrected at once. The box of bullets is on the ground by the Honda. I start walking backwards toward them, making sure to keep my eyes on the car. If it speeds towards me, I’m close enough that I could dodge it.

I feel like I’m in a western, giving the stare down to an enemy. As I take another backwards step, the back of my foot hits the bullets. I pick them up and go behind the car to reload. That way, if the car does speed toward me while I’m distracted, I’ll at least have a car between us to minimize the blow.

I reload, making sure to keep my eyes on the black car as much as possible. I look at Tabby who is lying on the dashboard watching me. It’s hard for me to gage her reaction. Cats would make excellent poker players.

I walk back to the car with the fully loaded gun in my hands. I go to the passenger side this time and peek inside again. All I see is a very clean and polished black interior.

I try the passenger door, fully expecting it not to open. With great surprise, though, when I pull on the handle it does open. How odd, the driver’s side is locked but the passenger door is unlocked?

This newfound discovery has opened up a world of new possibilities. I step into the car and sit down on the leather seats. I can now see that the lights in the dashboard are, in fact, on. Was it like this before or did it just happen when I opened the door? Regardless, the car is on now. A single key is turned on in the ignition, as well as a large button by the steering wheel with a blue light that says “On”.

I lay my gun down and crawl into the drivers seat. Something tells me this is going to be a very fun car to drive. I reach for the safety belt and realize there isn’t one — not on the other side either. That’s just great, any collision in this car and I’ll be flying through the window. I reach over to put the car into drive but it’s stuck. How on Earth is it stuck? Then I realize I didn’t put my foot on the brake. “Ahhh, you dummy!” This shows how nervous I am. I take a deep breathe and try to calm myself down. I put my foot on the brake and try again to put it in drive, but it’s still stuck.

“What am I doing wrong now?”

I reach for the key to turn the car off and back on again, but the key won’t budge either. I push the “On” button but it doesn’t even move, click, or anything. The blue light remains on. Is there some trick to getting this thing to move? Voice activation, maybe?

“Turn On. Go. Drive. Forward.” Nothing works and I sound like an idiot. I start kicking the dashboard, hoping to jar something loose and get the car back to life. From my experiences with electronics, kicking them works a surprising number of times. Not this time though.

I look around, trying to find the one magical button or lever that will take this car off into the sunset. While I don’t find a button to start the car, I do find one that piques my interest — the trunk opener. I lift up on it, not expecting it to do anything. This time I’m more fortunate. I hear a “boing” and turn around to see the trunk door rising up. I reach over to get out of the car, but the driver side door doesn’t open from the inside either — the owner should get that fixed.

I crawl my way back over to the passenger side and out the door. I walk over with giddy anticipation as to what’s in the trunk.

What I see makes my jaw drop in horror. Crumpled car pieces I can only assume are from Abby’s car, and Cujo’s bloody and grotesque head — his dead eyes staring back at me.

Chapter 19

“Oh my God!” I take my gun and look around again for someone watching me. This has to be one sick prank, and here’s the proof. It doesn’t explain why the car drives all by itself, but it certainly explains that someone put all this shit in the car when I wasn’t looking. After all, the car doesn’t have arms (at least not any I can see).

It also means someone is close; I’ve never felt more unsafe. I storm over to the Honda and open up the trunk to pull out my ax. If someone is watching me, I might as well give them a good show. With gun and ax in hand, I go to the mystery black car with vengeance.

I drop the gun to the ground and take a firm baseball grip to my undersized ax. I aim my best swing at the front tire. The blade hits the tire and bounces back hard like a toy bouncing ball shooting up from the ground. This unexpected force causes my left arm to throb with pain, which only makes me angrier. Holding it with just my right hand now, I take a chop at the side of the car but I’m met with the same undamaged result.

What the hell is this made out of? It has to be some kind of material unseen on the market. I don’t even see a scratch where I hit it with my ax. I give it a couple more swings and only get more useless results.

Giving up on the ax, I’m out of good ideas but I start with closing the trunk. I don’t want to see that ever again. The moment the trunk door closes, the car starts to move about as slowly as a car can move.

“Where the hell are you going?”

It’s headed straight for the Honda. At this speed it’s bound to cause little or no damage but I keep an eye on it anyway. Once it gets close enough to where I think it’s going to crash, it makes a sharp left turn and stops only a few feet away from the Honda. I hear a clicking sound, which can only mean the car either fully locked or unlocked. I try the passenger door and see it’s locked. I move over to the driver’s side and that side is locked too. This keeps getting weirder and weirder.

I get the feeling I’m being tested, like this is a puzzle I have to figure out. I don’t have the faintest idea how to solve it, though. All I know is over the past few days this car has done everything it could to prevent me from going near it, but now it’s almost demanding I get back inside.

That’s when an idea occurs to me. I’ve learned growing up that if you want a bully to stop picking on you, you have to think of the absolute last thing they want to happen, and then you go do it. Most kids think that’s telling the teacher, but to a bully that’s almost wanted. It gives him another reason to pummel you. No, the last thing a bully wants you to do is fight back. He likes it when you’re scared and submissive, but the moment you start throwing a few punches is when he’ll leave you alone and look for easier targets.

With the black car and whoever is watching me, I think the last thing they want is for me to leave. I’ll bet they’re thriving on my reactions. As much as this black car fascinates me and piques my interest, I’m going to drive off as if I don’t care anymore.

I get the keys out of my pocket and climb back into the Honda. Tabby is sitting on the driver’s seat so I reach down to move her, but she jumps out.

“Tabby, get back here!”

When I look over, she’s pawing at the black car’s door.

“Tabby, let’s go. It’s locked.”

She ignores me and continues to paw at the door. I turn back and yell at her again, “Tabby, it’s locked. There’s nothing I can do. See…” When I try the door handle again, the door opens up. How can this be? I’ve been within earshot of the car since I last tried the doors and would have heard it unlock. With the door cracked open, Tabby jumps in the passenger seat.

I turn away for what I think is the briefest of moments when something happens — the worst thing I can possibly imagine happening. The black car takes off, and with its momentum the car door slams shut — leaving Tabby trapped inside.

“Noooo!” I get into the Honda and turn the ignition. The engine only sputters. This can’t be happening now, did I leave the lights on? I check then look up and see the black car starting to disappear far off into the distance. I try the key again, “Come on damn it. Work!” This little pep talk seems to do the trick because the engine kicks on. I put the car in drive and speed off after the black car that’s carrying my precious Tabby.

The Honda doesn’t quite move like the BMW, but it’s pretty fast. I’ve managed to get the car going fast enough now that the black car is still within view, but I have some catching up to do.

I feel like a crazed mother whose child has gone missing. That cat saved my life and now it’s time I return the favor.

I’m headed north, the opposite direction of where I’d want to be going. I’ve been this way a couple times already, and it doesn’t stir up any pleasant memories. Going up my famous hill — where just off the road a tree was struck by lightning — my Honda reaches ninety miles per hour. Anything faster makes me think the screws will pop out. I seem to be gaining on the black car but not fast enough.

I wonder what Tabby is thinking. Is she scared? Does she even understand what’s happening?

I keep a steady grip on the wheel and think about what I’ll do when I catch up to it. I can’t wreck the car with Tabby inside — she’ll die in a crash at these speeds. What can I do? Not in my wildest dreams do I expect the car to slow down. Shooting the tires also does no good; I’ve already proven this car is bulletproof from top to bottom. The only option I can think of that might not involve Tabby or me getting killed is to drive ahead and then slam on my brakes, letting the black car crash into the back of me. If I do this I can hopefully slow it down enough that it stops.

It doesn’t seem like much of a plan, but it’s the only one I have. When I make my way down the hill I push one hundred miles per hour. It terrifies me beyond belief going this fast but I’m getting closer.

Then the black car does something I never would have expected. It pulls over to the side of the road and makes a complete stop. I pull up behind it, wondering why it stopped here. Then I look over to see this particular part of the highway doesn’t have a guardrail. It should though, because off the road is a steep hill — a hill I’m all too familiar with. This is the exact point where I wrecked Abby’s car.

I get out of the Honda and walk toward the black car, making sure my ax and gun are firmly in hand. Halfway there I look out over the hill to see if anything has changed. It hasn’t. It’s still an empty piece of land with no sign of my previously wrecked car. When I get to the passenger side window, I see Tabby in the seat. To me she looks terrified but who knows what’s going on inside her head. I try the door but it’s locked. I want more than anything to get her out. I call to her to get back so I can make another attempt at shooting or axing my way through the window. No matter what I say, whatever pointing and speaking I do, she doesn’t understand me. She just paws at the window and meows.

“Tabby, get back so I don’t hurt you!”

I walk over to the driver’s side, hoping Tabby won’t follow me over but she does. I know at any moment — any second — the black car may spontaneously start driving off again. I decide I have to take another shot at the window, even if Tabby is there. I’ll shoot at the front window since I’ve never officially tried that yet.

First, I try the driver’s side door in case by some miracle it’s unlocked. When I reach for the handle I don’t even give it much of an attempt because I’m fully expecting it to not work. However, when I flip the handle and the door cracks open I can’t believe my unexpected fortune. Tabby finds the crack in the door and pushes her way out before I even get to open it all the way. She doesn’t run off, though; she looks up at me wondering what I’m going to do next. I stare right back at her, as if looking to her for any good answers.

I’m not sure what it is about this car, but something draws me in and wants me to get inside it. I look at Tabby, wondering if she knows what I’m thinking. I tuck the gun and ax in my left arm and pick her up with my right arm.

“What do you say we go back inside and have another look?”

I don’t want to go in the car alone. If I do and it takes off, it may be the last time I ever see Tabby — or anyone else for that matter. With Tabby in my arms I kick the door open with my right foot.

When I step into the car, I set her down in the passenger seat. She seems a bit on edge, so I rush to close the door before she sneaks out on me. As soon as I close the door, I hear the clicking sound of the doors locking. When I push the unlock button nothing happens. I try some of the other buttons but none of them seem to do what they’re supposed to.

Then I push the trunk door, hoping I can somehow escape out the back. This button worked last time, but not this time. The trunk door remains still.

“Great, now what do I do?”

As soon as I say it, the black car takes off — Tabby and me trapped inside. The acceleration on the car has to match or exceed any of the greatest sports cars on the market. I’ve never been in a vehicle that goes from zero to sixty miles per hour this quickly.

My hands grasp the steering wheel, but it doesn’t do any good. The wheel controls itself and doesn’t allow me to do anything. As hard as I grab the wheel, it won’t budge in the direction I take it. I stomp down on the brakes but they don’t move either. I don’t want to go any faster but I step on the gas pedal to see what happens. It doesn’t move either.

I’m reminded again there aren’t any safety belts. Why would someone build a car without them? Whoever did the safety inspection on this car should be fired.

Having my life in the hands of a piece of metal propelled by some form of technology I’ve never seen before is unsettling. I can only hope and pray it doesn’t decide to propel itself off the road.

I have to admire how well the car moves, though. Even at these incredible speeds, the black car maneuvers through bends in the road with precision. I never noticed when I was chasing after it, but it seems to stay in the exact center of the lane at all times. Only a computer-driven car could be this precise.

We make our way toward the Nashville exit. Being in the car this long eases my anxiety a little. The speed and no seat belts are unsettling, but the car’s driving ability makes me feel safe. Already I have more confidence in its driving ability than I do of my own. If there were other cars around I might be more precarious, but the way it currently stands, I have to say I’m OK with the speeding black car. I just wish I knew our final destination point.

Currently, we are headed back north covering the same stretch of highway I’ve already traveled through these last few days. Although, at these speeds we are making much better time.

I wonder if we are going to retrace my entire trip. If so, I had a momentary chase with the black car through Nashville, so I guess I’ll find out soon. I have no idea which exit I came out of. Like most big cities, Nashville has an outer belt with many different ways of getting in and out.

We drive past what looks like the first opportunity to make our way downtown. I’m hoping we make a stop in town. Getting a free tour through the city from a self-propelling car would be fun. I also hope we stop soon because I’m not at the point of crossing my legs but I could certainly use a bathroom break. If only I could have control of this car. There has to be a way to override the system.

As the second exit nears, I start getting anxious. Please make the turn. I grab the wheel again, hoping that by some miracle I’ll be able to move the steering wheel, but it doesn’t budge. The black car doesn’t slow down for even a second as it zooms past the exit.

More exits come and go and I start getting more and more worried. It doesn’t look like we are going to stop in Nashville. The next major city is Louisville, and that isn’t for another 180 miles. I won’t be able to hold it that long. I look over at Tabby to see how she’s holding up. She’s not crossing her legs either but I imagine she is going to need a bathroom break soon also. I know not to underestimate the small size of animals; they can take a pretty healthy dump that can smell up an entire house. Magnetize that by a hundred when you’re stuck in a tiny car.

It feels like we’ve been on this outer belt for hours when I see a sign that says we’re two miles from I-65. I know if we take that turn there will be no stopping in Nashville. I slam my hands against the steering wheel and shout obscenities my mother wouldn’t be proud of. Having no control over a vehicle is very frustrating.

As I see the turn ahead, I hope we don’t make the merge right. I start muttering to myself “Please don’t turn. Please don’t turn. Please don’t turn.” When we get up to the exit though, my fears come to fruition.

“Damn it!”

As we merge onto I-65, I look out the rear view mirror at Nashville behind me. Who knows if I’ll live to see it again.

With Nashville fading further into the background, I wonder where we are going next. There are little towns here and there, but I can’t imagine a reason to stop at any of them. As much as I am an optimist, I can’t picture the black car stopping at a rest stop. Louisville maybe, but even that seems doubtful. We didn’t stop in Nashville so why would we stop in Louisville?

I realize then I have to take matters into my own hands. I have to either find a way to take control of this car or smash through one of the windows and jump out. At ninety miles per hour, the latter option is likely suicide, but if I can at least have the glass broken through so I’m ready, there may be an opportunity to jump if the black car slows down for some reason.

I start with option A, taking control of the car. There aren’t many buttons on this machine but I push them all, not caring what they say they claim to do. I even try pushing multiple buttons together in different combinations. I’m just hoping for some blind luck that there’s some combination or bug in the system that allows me driving access.

When nothing works, I resort to smashing and kicking the dashboard. I wish I could say things started to break, but the inside of the car seems to be as durable as the outside.

As technologically advanced as this car is, I don’t think kicking buttons is going to do anything. Since I’m filled with rage, I move to option B, smashing through windows. I throw Tabby in the backseat to protect her from my crazy episode. I lean back, and with the heel of my foot I start kicking as hard as I can at the driver’s side window. Kick after kick does no harm to the window or my foot. In my last fit of rage I get the wise idea to punch the glass with my hand and instantly realize what a stupid idea this was. I rarely drop the F-bomb, but I leash out a few of them. Then I remember I have my ax. How could I forget about the ax sitting on the passenger seat floorboard?

The car is small, so I can’t give it my full on baseball swing but I give it all I have. The side window has no chance of breaking, though. I shot my gun at it, so why would an ax do anything?

I look back at Tabby, who’s studying me with interest. When I look up I realize the only window I haven’t tried to break is the back window. It seems pointless but if I don’t give it a try I’ll drive myself crazy until I do.

“Come here Tabby, you need to go back to the front seat,” I say as I toss her to the front.

When I get in the back seat, I realize I can put a pretty good swing together with this extra room. I take a deep breath, then build up all the rage inside of me I can muster and make the hardest swing I can.

When the ax breaks through the back window, I’m so surprised I almost lose my grip. It cuts through the glass like a knife going through butter. Glass flies back everywhere as I close my eyes and turn my head away.

When I look out the window, I see glass skipping and bouncing its way across the highway behind me. The sound of the wind coming from the back window is quite loud. I stick my hand out to feel it, and I’m amazed by how much force there is at this speed.

I take my ax and keep chipping away at the rest of the glass. The wind makes it easy, and before I know it I have the entire back window all cleared out.

With this gaping hole, I turn into the scared parent and realize if Tabby gets too close to that back window the force of the wind will take her away. I’ll need to keep constant watch of her to make sure she doesn’t try to get out.

I look out the window again and wonder if there’s a way to jump without killing Tabby or myself. Is there some way I can soften the blow? Looking around, I see there’s not much to work with. I could take apart one of the seats and use it as a cushion but something tells me this wouldn’t go as planned. I’m not at a desperate enough stage yet to actually consider doing this. For now, I wait and hope there’s a time when I can grab Tabby and jump out the window. Images flash in my head of what the black car would do if we escaped. Would it turn itself around and try to run us over, or would it keep on driving? There are many mysteries about this car I feel I’ve yet to find out.

For now, I think I’ve exhausted all my good ideas. I look through the front window and see we’re still moving forward too fast. I lie down in the backseat to think and rest. I don’t plan on napping; if we make some kind of turn I don’t want to miss it.

I lie there and the moment I close my eyes, Tabby jumps on my belly and lies down. I start petting her and she purrs her approval. It only takes a couple minutes before she closes her eyes and falls asleep. Sleeping and purring, Tabby is in little kitty heaven. If she only knew what kind of danger she’s in.

Seeing her this relaxed does ease some of my tension, though. It’s kind of like when you see someone yawn in a meeting and it sets off a chain reaction of yawns. Seeing Tabby falling asleep makes me close my eyes and, before I know it, I drift off as well.

When I wake up, realization takes over and I jump forward. How long was I asleep? When I look out the window, I still see a long stretch of highway in front of me.

Tabby wakes up when I push her off me but quickly falls back asleep. I really need to go to the bathroom now. I can’t hold it any longer. Fortunately, for now it’s just number one. I look out the back window to see if I can make this work. I take my pants completely off. Tabby opens her eyes, wondering what on Earth I’m doing. Her attention fades and falls back asleep.

There’s a short area above the seats that I can lie on. When I try to get into position, though, I realize my body is too big. With one leg down on the seat, I adjust my body so it’s sort of in position. When I let it go, the wind takes it out like a vacuum sucking up dirt. This is working much better than I expected and provides some entertainment value as well. As I finish, the stream comes back and some of it gets on my leg. The warm, wet feeling is gross but in the end it was well worth it. I feel much better now.

I go back up to the front seat and put my pants back on. When I look back, I expect to see Tabby still asleep but she isn’t there. When I see her above the seat my mouth drops. She jumped up to the window and is now inches away from falling out!

“Tabby, no! Get away from there.” But she doesn’t even look back at me. She walks through the back window, not knowing the strong force of the wind would take her away. By the time I reach to grab her, it’s too late.

I turn my head away, not bearing to see her fall to her potential doom.

Chapter 20

When I do look up, Tabby is far off in the distance. I see a black spot on the highway, which is no doubt her, but I can’t tell if she’s alive or how badly damaged her body is.

Being this close to the window, I get a good feel for how fast we’re going. It makes my stomach queasy because, as nimble as cats are, that is a nasty fall at an incredible speed.

I have seconds to decide if I should jump out after her, but it’s an easy decision. I could die — and probably would — if I jumped. Best-case scenario, I would break every bone in my body, which would be no good for either of us.

I start crying when I think about her helping me in the woods. It’s very possible I would have made it out alive, but then again I might not have. Now and forever I feel Tabby saved my life. That little black cat was there for me at a time when nobody else was and now I’m abandoning her.

My sadness turns to anger as I see the black car continue to speed along. Someone is behind all of this. Whether it’s a human being or some higher power, there’s someone accountable for this happening to Tabby. If there were a way to control the car, I never would have broken through the window — and Tabby would never have fallen out. I’m going to kill whoever’s responsible.

Deep down, I know I’m at fault as well. I knew I had to keep a very close eye on her because she wouldn’t know any better. What a terrible parent I would be. I’ve had a cat less than a day and for all I know she lies dead on the road.

I move to the front seat to see if I can whip up any more great ideas. I’m starting to get hungry, but it doesn’t look like we’re stopping through McDonald’s any time soon.

Am I going to starve to death? Of all the ways to die, I think this is up there as one of the worst. How long am I going to be in this car with no food or water? A few days? Maybe a week? How long would it — or should I say will it — take before I jump out that back window?

I only wish I knew the time. I don’t know why it bothers me so much not knowing, but in my entire adult life I’ve never gone more than a few waking hours without checking a watch or a clock. It’s pretty sad when I think about it. I doubt cavemen were constantly looking up at the sun for the time.

As I sit in the passenger seat, I look in front of me and kick myself for not thinking of this earlier. I’m not sure what most people call it; my mom always called it a glove compartment. It’s the little storage area that sits right in front of passenger seat. I’ve never seen a car without one. When I look at it, this car’s glove compartment is sealed and hidden unlike any other car I’ve seen. I suppose all expensive cars have some fancy way of disguising this standard feature. For this particular car, the latch blends in with the rest of the panel. You wouldn’t see it unless you looked really close. Nevertheless, here it is so I take the latch and pull it down — giddy with excitement for what I’m about to find.

When the compartment opens all the way, I’m instantly creeped out by what I find. While most glove compartments I’ve seen are jam-packed with stuff — owner’s manual, other various car papers, GPS devices, CDs, etc. — this car has one tiny item that sits oddly centered facing up. It’s my wrinkled picture of Abby that was in my wallet — the one with the written message on the back.

I reach into my back pocket and see the picture is indeed missing from my wallet. When or how someone took it from my pocket, I’ll never know. I think back to any time my wallet hasn’t been right with me for safekeeping. When I slept each night, I always took my pants off but always had them next to me. When I took that bath, I was obviously naked but, again, my pants were nearby. As long and hard as I think about this, the more convinced I am that I’ve never had a moment where someone could have easily taken the picture out. And why would they want that picture in the first place?

I look around in my wallet for anything else they may have taken, but it all looks accounted for. There’s sixty dollars in cash they didn’t bother taking, but I guess that’s not surprising since money is pretty worthless now. The most disturbing part is knowing that the wallet I have in my hands was recently in the hands of somebody else. I put the wallet up to my nose but can’t detect any kind of a scent.

It’s terrifying to think someone has been this close to me. Did they come in the middle of the night when I was sleeping? Yes, that’s the only time they could have done it. I’ve always been a very deep sleeper. Countless times Abby has woken me up in the middle of the night because she heard something.

She always thought there was a burglar trying to break in, but each time I would get up and never find anything. I knew Abby would never fall back asleep unless I did a thorough check so I would always run outside, check the basement, and go everywhere else I thought a burglar or boogieman would be, but I never found or saw anyone.

I’d never admitted it to her, but there were a few times when I went outside and had an odd feeling someone was out there. Of course, when I came back inside, I would over-enthusiastically tell her everything was fine. I’m not sure I always convinced her but I usually did enough to get us both back to sleep.

If Abby were here and she knew someone came in the middle of the night and took a picture out of my wallet, she would never sleep again the rest of her life. I take the picture out of the glove compartment and put it back in my wallet. I hope I never see anything in that glove compartment ever again.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, I say to myself. I take my gun and decide it’s time to start blasting again. With Tabby gone, I only have my own life to account for, which I care less and less about by the minute. I go to the backseat and decide to start blasting at the dashboard. Kicking it did nothing, but let’s see how it handles being shot at.

Abby’s picture, I’ll admit, has me feeling a bit crazy. I get into position, propping the gun on the backseat. I figure the seat can protect me from any of the debris that will hopefully come flying off.

When I pull the trigger, the sound from the blast is unlike anything I’ve heard from a gun before. Even though the back window is gone, being in this enclosed space magnifies the sound. Without being able to have my feet firmly in place, the gun knocks me to the back of the seat. I can’t see the dashboard because of the seat, but when I look at the backseat I see pieces of shattered glass and plastic and I know I’ve done a good job. When I do look, I see the dashboard has, in fact, been blown to pieces. Unfortunately, when I look through the front window, the car is no longer the precision driving machine it used to be. Before, I’d seen it drive everywhere exactly centered on the road. Now, it’s starting to drift dangerously left.

As fast as my body can move, I leap to the front seat and am surprised by my own quickness. I turn the steering wheel and get excited when I feel the car move where I want it to go. Turns out, the dashboard was the brains of the vehicle.

The black car is still going the same speed so I ease on the brake, but this doesn’t do anything. Before, the brake pedal seemed stuck and unable to move; now it moves but doesn’t do anything. The gas pedal does the same, which means I still have no control over the speed of the car.

I steer the wheel from left to right, making sure it still works. My situation doesn’t seem much better than before if I can’t control the speed.

One thing I can do now that I couldn’t before is go back and see Tabby. If she’s alive I want to know I did everything I could to help her. Although, at ninety miles per hour I can’t just turn around at the nearest exit or make a U-turn on the highway. I would die trying. My only chance is to find an outer belt that allows me to circle around and head back south. I try to imagine the map in my head and know I can take the Louisville outer belt around until I merge back onto I-65 south. There may be a faster route but with no map I’d just get lost. This is going to work, and for a brief moment I think I’m Einstein until I realize that even if I do make it back to where Tabby fell out, what good would that do? I’d drive by where she may or may not still be, but I wouldn’t be able to help her. I’ll only confirm whether she’s alive or not.

The alternative to that brilliant idea is to leave Tabby behind and hope she appears later. What will happen when it’s four o’clock? Will she magically appear in the car, or on the side of the road? I think I’ve learned enough by now to know there’s no way to predict what will happen next.

I’ve blocked out of my mind the thought of Tabby being dead. Falling out of a car going ninety miles per hour is tough even for a cat, but I’m optimistic she’s alive. Seeing I don’t have any other good options, I decide I’m going back for Tabby. Even if it’s only to drive by, I have to know if she’s still with me.

By the time I get to Louisville, I’ve never been hungrier in my life. I’ve never fasted for religious purposes, nor have I ever had a surgery where I couldn’t eat. To my knowledge, I’ve never missed a meal in my entire life, which is a testament to how fortunate and lucky I’ve been. Now though, all I can think about is how much I want to be sitting down eating a burger and fries.

Even though I’m clueless with directions, I’m smart enough to figure out how to make my way around the outer belt and back onto I-65 south. After having driven for a couple hours at ninety miles per hour, it’s beginning to feel almost natural. There are no sharp loops I have to deal with. Instead, the merge back onto I-65 south is nothing more than a fork in the road. I was starting to build up fear of what the merge back onto I-65 would be like. I’ll admit, if the turn was too difficult, I had already decided I would leave Tabby behind. Now that I’m back on I-65 and less than two hours away from Tabby, excitement starts to build up inside of me.

On the outside this seems like a stupid idea. Drive toward a cat in a car that doesn’t stop, just to see if it’s alive or dead. A little voice inside of me keeps reminding me of this. The other voice tells me this is the right thing to do and that something important is going to happen when I get there.

I decide no matter what, I’m going to go back to the cabin after I get there. I’ll ease myself into the grass somewhere, which will hopefully slow the car down, then jump out. The grass should cushion some of the blow. This may sound like a stupid idea, but I have no other choice. I’m under the assumption the car will be able to propel itself for a very long time without stopping. Also, once nightfall hits I know I’ll get too sleepy to drive. Now that the car doesn’t automatically steer itself, I have to make this decision. I’ll crash and die falling asleep at the wheel at night, so I might as well take things into my own hands and jump out the window when the time is right.

For the past hour, my heart has been beating out of my chest. I’ve never gone this long being so scared and nervous. I feel like I’m moments away from something very dramatic about to happen, and anticipation is at an all-time high. Some of the scenery starts to look familiar. It was only a couple days ago that I was driving on this very same road, which seems like forever ago. How different things were then; I was in Abby’s BMW expecting to be in Mobile, Alabama by the end of the day. That was before all the bruises, cracked ribs, and teeth marks from a battle to the death with Cujo. It’s like looking back on your younger school years and the problems you used to have. Suzy kissing Jimmy seemed like the most important thing on Earth, when in hindsight it was no big deal. It’s the same way when I think of the problems I was facing going to Mobile. Such petty problems when now I’m dealing with a black car I can’t stop, no food or water, and only a handful of daylight hours left.

I wish I had stayed home — or even stayed at the cabin. There, I could have healed up and been in good shape in a few days. Why did I obsess over this black car so much? Why didn’t I just ignore it as it drove by every morning at nine o’clock? After all, it never tried to get in my way. Once I was healed, I could I have gone to Mobile, or Florida, or wherever the wind took me. Even better, I could have sat back and waited for someone to find me. The bottom line is, almost every decision I’ve made up to this point has been a poor one and is the sole reason why I’m stuck risking my life inside this black car I have little control over.

As I keep heading south, a stupid realization comes over me. If Tabby isn’t on the road, how will I know where she fell out? Why didn’t I think about this before, when I decided to come back for her? It’s unfortunate, but I guess I’d rather be heading south than north anyway. I don’t like being cold and I’m not sure what the heating system is like in this car now that I’ve taken a shotgun to the dashboard.

I only have a vague clue where I was when Tabby fell out. I was too preoccupied with what happened to bother looking to see where I was. Even though I can picture vividly Tabby falling out, I have no recollection of any signs or anything else that soon followed.

With that understanding, I think it’s best I keep an eye out like I used to looking for deer at night. If you’ve driven in Ohio long enough, you’ve likely had at least one close call with these car-demolishing creatures. If Tabby is dead, I’ll surely see her on the road, but if she’s alive my guess is she didn’t stray too far from the road.

Minute after minute goes by. I haven’t been this focused on driving since I took my license exam. With each minute, doubt starts to creep in that I’ve passed where she fell. I suppose the Nashville outer belt is the best indicator that I’ve gone too far.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. More minutes go by, and I get more unsettling feelings in the pit of my stomach. Where did she go? Where did my sweet Tabby, who saved my life, go? I barely know her, but I picture her as one tough kitty. If there were any chance of surviving, she would do it.

Then, a lot of things happen in the blink of an eye.

First, as I look forward there’s nothing but a stretch of highway for miles. But then, out of nowhere and no more than one second ahead of me, Tabby appears in the middle of the road. I don’t have time to think — just react. I jerk the car left, doing my best to avoid her. I’ll never know whether or not I missed her. If I did, it would have been by mere inches.

My quick turn combined with the fast speed is too much even for this car to handle. Knowing I have no seat belt to protect me, I do everything I can to prevent the car from flipping over. When I jerk the car back to the right, my body’s momentum continues going left. I hear the thud of my head hitting the unbreakable glass window, and then everything goes dark and silent.

Chapter 21

I open my eyes but things are blurry, which is odd because I’ve never worn contacts or glasses a day in my life. All I see when I look up is a white light. Is this heaven? Somehow I don’t think so.

The light is too much for my eyes so I shut them. My head throbs in pain. How long have I been unconscious, and what was that light? Images flash in my mind of me standing on clouds with the Pearly Gates off in the distance. I don’t get my hopes up, though; I doubt they let folks in who’ve brutally ax-murdered a dog.

Keeping my eyes closed, I try to feel the rest of my body. I wiggle both of my toes, which gives me a huge relief. If my toes work I can assume the rest of the wiring in my legs are fine too. I do the same with my fingers. Thank God everything works.

What is today? Have I been unconscious for a couple hours or a couple days? Also, why am I no longer hungry or thirsty? Did the wreck cause my body to kick into some survival mode where I conserve food and water?

Final question, where am I? I was just in a car wreck, but I swear I saw a ceiling in the corner of my eye. I crack my eyes open again but the light is too bright. Not seeing where I am feels like finding presents before Christmas day when they’re already wrapped. They’re right there in front of you but you know you can’t have them yet.

Without having to open my eyes, something happens that gives me answers — or perhaps more questions — as to where I am and why. It’s the sound of footsteps. Sneakers hitting a hard, tile floor. A hospital floor?

The footsteps get closer and I only hope whoever is coming is here to help and not hurt me. A five-year-old girl could win a fight with me now.

The steps stop when they are right next to me. It’s only then that I notice I must be in a bed. The feeling beneath me is soft and comfortable. There’s a plush pillow underneath my head. Yes, I must be in a hospital.

I try to open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I can feel whoever is beside me, not by any of the main five senses but by the feeling that someone is watching me. I nudge my finger the best I can, hoping they see it and know I’m awake. They evidently don’t because I hear their footsteps walking away and out the door.

Now that it’s just me again, I go back to thinking about what I know. Starting with the most recent thing I can remember, I know I was in a car crash. I know I was in a mysterious black car that I wrecked to avoid hitting a cat named Tabby who had previously saved my life. I know my body was badly damaged already from a run-in with a crazed dog I called Cujo who seemed to show up every day around six in the evening. I even remember waking up on a Tuesday, anxious to give a presentation to my bosses, only to discover that nobody was there. Yes, I can recall a lot of what happened to me recently.

What I can’t remember, though, is much about the week or two before everyone disappeared. The last thing I can remember before then is celebrating my anniversary with Abby. How long was that before the disappearances? I’m not even sure. I remember going out to a really nice dinner, a fondue restaurant that was dark and intimate, and serving each other strawberries dipped in hot chocolate. I remember thinking it was one of the best times I’ve ever had with Abby. Conversations when you’re married can be stagnant at times… How was your day? Good, how was yours? Good. This night was different. I remember we talked about life and what we wanted to do together in the future — places we wanted to go and things we wanted to see. Even though we’ve been together for several years, on that night it was as if we were on our first date.

If Abby and I ever get to be together again, I hope we have more dinners like that. There may still be hope that will happen. The nurse is the first human contact I’ve had in over a week — a huge step in the right direction. Granted, I never really saw her, and I’m not even sure it was a her. It could have been some alien life form getting me set up for an anal probe. I hope they know I don’t do well with things being inserted into me.

I’m going to assume it was human. I try opening my eyes again, and when I do I hold them open long enough to see a bright fluorescent light. There are also ceiling tiles similar to the ones I remember seeing in schools growing up.

After a few minutes with my eyes closed, I open them again and look to my right. I’m hooked up to an IV.

Of all the things I should be worried about, I’m most bothered knowing I have some sort of needle stuck in me. The thought makes me nauseated and the last thing I want to do is throw up.

Trying to take my mind off the IV, my thoughts turn to where I am and how I got here. I’m almost certainly in a hospital, but I have no idea which one. I know I didn’t check myself in so someone must have brought me here. I’ve had a suspicion that someone has been around me. How else did my picture of Abby end up in the black car? Did that same person take me here?

When I open my eyes again, I’m able to keep them open longer so I look around the room. It looks like your typical hospital room, although this room has a lot of gadgets around me; I must be really messed up. There are no visitors, no parents or friends to greet me. I look all around me for a button to press to call in a nurse but can’t find anything. I try to call out — scream if I can — but the sounds I make are barely audible.

I continue to look around the room for signs or clues. As luck would have it, I see one. On the TV stand is a little gray football helmet. Having grown up in Ohio, I know that can only mean the Ohio State Buckeyes. How can that be, though? I crashed somewhere around Tennessee, two to three hundred miles away from Ohio. Even in the black car, that’s more than a two-hour drive. Besides, I searched through a good part of Ohio and there was no one in sight. Of course, the Buckeyes helmet doesn’t have to mean I’m in Ohio, but I think it’s a pretty good indication. Why would another state have an Ohio football helmet sitting in one of their hospital rooms?

I’m still at the point where I can only wiggle my feet and hands. I don’t think I have any chance of getting up and walking yet. I don’t feel any pain, although that could be because I’m pumped with medication. I can keep my eyes open now as my pupils seem to be adjusted to seeing light again. I consider for a moment looking at my arm to see what kind of IV they have me hooked up to, but I know for sure that will make me throw up whatever I do have in my stomach.

Being in a hospital and having no recollection of getting here is scary. I’m anxious for answers and my wish is granted when I turn to my right and see a nurse walk in.

She’s dressed in all white from top to bottom — how cliché. When my eyes make their way up to her face, my first thought is how pretty she might be if it weren’t for the facial expression she’s giving. It’s a look of total shock and horror, as if a dead body at a funeral got out of the casket and started walking around.

“Oh my God. You’re awake!”

I don’t like the tone of her voice when she says this. Was she not expecting me to ever wake up? I try to speak, but nothing comes out. She rushes toward me and checks the monitor sitting behind me. I have no clue what all the lines and numbers mean, but based on her expression I think she’s pleased. Surprised, but pleased.

“I’ll be right back.”

Without giving me the chance to protest, she storms out of the room. She comes back a couple minutes later, this time accompanied by a balding man in his late fifties. He’s thin, which I like; I’ve never had much respect for obese doctors. He looks at me like he’s trying to hold back a smile.

“Andrew, how very good to see you! How do you feel?”

I open my mouth and try to respond, but he quickly interrupts me.

“Oh, of course. Don’t worry about trying to speak. It’s perfectly natural that your voice isn’t back yet. The good news is it should be soon. Nurse Jackie tells me that your vitals look good.”

“The best I’ve seen from someone just coming out of a coma!”

The word coma seems to put everything together. I was in a coma? For how long? The facial expressions of the doctor and Nurse Jackie change from glee to somber seriousness. I don’t think the doctor wanted me to receive this information so soon, but now that the news is out he improvises.

“Yes, you’ve been in a coma, Andrew. You’ve been in here for a little over seven days now. But it’s nothing to worry about. I have the utmost confidence, just by looking at the monitor, that you’re going to be OK. Nurse Jackie and the rest of the staff have taken very good care of you and have been giving you healthy doses of food and water. We’ll run some more tests, but I have no doubt you’ll have a full and healthy recovery.”

Well, it’s great news that I’m going to be OK. A lot of people in hospitals don’t get to hear news like this from their doctors, but I still can’t get over that I was in a coma. I mean, my God, a coma! That’s something you see on a soap opera. Not something that happens to a normal person like me, and for over seven days! It’s hard for me to wrap my head around this. It must mean the events of the past week were nothing more than an extended dream. Could this possibly be true? I look down at my left arm, no bite marks.

I look up at the doctor and, although I can’t speak, I do my best to show approval in my face. He tells me I’ll need additional tests, but at this point I’ve tuned him out. There’s so much to absorb and it doesn’t help he’s using medical jargon that I don’t understand. What I do pay attention to comes at the end.

“For now, relax and get some rest. If you need anything, just press the red button and Nurse Jackie will get to you right away. It’s right here.”

He shows me, on the outside of the armrest, the button I was searching for. I didn’t have the energy to stretch out that far earlier. Once I give a nod, the doctor and “Nurse Jackie” exit the room and leave me to my thoughts.

Every fifteen minutes or so I test out my voice. It seems to get better with each attempt, just as the doctor said it would. I’m tired, and I wonder how that can be when I’ve just slept for seven days straight. When you are in a coma, does it count as sleeping? I make a mental note to add this to my list of questions, although that one is far down on the list.

I’m more interested in how and why I’m here. Just as I feel good enough to carry on a conversation, though, fatigue takes over and I fall asleep.

When I wake up, three new doctors are whispering amongst themselves beside my bed. One has a clipboard and is writing whatever the other two doctors are telling her. When I listen in, I hear they are discussing my condition. Again, the medical jargon is too much for me to understand, but their enthusiasm makes it sound like I’m some sort of miracle patient. I’m not sure if they know I’m awake or not, but I find it rather annoying they would be in my room talking while I’m supposedly asleep.

“Excuse me, can I help you?”

Three heads jerk up at me like deer seeing headlights. They are so startled by my awakening they don’t say anything, so I break the silence.

“Is there something I can do for you?” A tone of resentment slips in my voice.

“No sir,” the doctor on the far left says. “Is there something we can do for you?”

“Can you please bring Nurse Jackie in?”

“Oh, yes. Right away. I’ll page her now.”

And with that, the three doctors scurry out of the room.

While waiting for Nurse Jackie, my heart rate starts to pick up. I was hoping to plan out some questions to ask. It may be better this way, though; I won’t have to drive myself crazy over-analyzing things. It takes ten excruciating minutes, but Nurse Jackie finally walks in. I see in her face that she’s just as scared as I am.

“Hello Andrew, what can I do for you?”

I don’t know where to begin and I’m terrified of the answers she’s about to give me, but I tell myself I have to find out sooner or later.

“I have a lot of questions to ask you.”

She looks at me hesitantly then finally says, “I figured that. Keep in mind I’m not allowed to answer anything except for specific medical questions.”

“But I don’t have specific medical questions. I have questions about where I am and how I got here.”

“Yeah, those are questions that I should let the doctor handle.”

“Well…” I hesitate. “Can you at least tell me where I am?”

“You are in the Ohio State Medical Wexner Center.”

“How did I get here?”

“I’m not allowed to answer that.”

“OK, umm how long have I been here?” I know the answer to this, but I’m lousy with interrogating someone and this question buys me some time.

“You came in last Tuesday. Today is Wednesday the week after, so you’ve been here eight days.”

“Has anyone been in to see me?”

“Yes, your parents have been here the entire time,” Nurse Jackie quickly tells me.

“What about Abby? Has she been here too?”

Nurse Jackie pauses for a moment before responding, deciding how best to phrase her answer. Then she says, “I’m not allowed to answer that.”

Her answer infuriates me and before I have a chance to control my anger I blurt out, “And why the hell not?”

She pauses, “Something has happened Andrew. Something bad. I’ve been ordered not to tell, but something happened to your wife.”

With this, I sit up for the first time in eight days. I want to stand up and run out the door but I don’t know what’s hooked up to me.

“What do you mean something has happened?”

“I’m not allowed to say. Please Andrew, let me go get the doctor and I’ll have him answer any questions you have.” She starts to back up toward the door, but before she moves far, I reach out and grab her.

“What happened to Abby?” I plead.

Nurse Jackie looks at me, eyes bulging now. I never realized a scrawny guy who has just come out of a coma could be so intimidating. She looks at me and swallows before speaking.

“Andrew, your wife was attacked. You’re both being treated here at the hospital.”

“Attacked? What do you mean attacked?”

“We don’t know all of the details, but police officers are set up everywhere investigating the situation. I’ll tell you that the attacker didn’t survive, but they didn’t give me any further details on that when I asked.” Nurse Jackie’s voice trails off.

My first thought was good; that son-of-a-bitch is dead. I don’t know what he did to my Abby, but if he weren’t dead he would be later when I beat him to death.

“What about Abby? How is she doing?”

“I’ve said more than enough. But Andrew, we’re hopeful she’s going to be all right.”

“Well, how bad is she?”

With this, Nurse Jackie starts crying. This surprises me because I’ve always assumed nurses were emotionless by nature. Not saying that’s a bad thing; when you have patients die every day, I understand you probably develop a thick skin. Nurse Jackie does look very young, like she’s still in college. Maybe she’s still in the beginning stages of controlling her emotions.

“I’m really sorry about the situation you’re in, Andrew. I haven’t worked directly with her but I hear she’s been having a difficult recovery. The doctors can’t seem to figure out what’s going on with her. I’m sure they’re doing their best.” And with that, she walks out of the room.

Chapter 22

For the next three days, I never see Nurse Jackie but I do have a constant stream of attendants. Nurses come in like clockwork every hour to check the monitor and jot things down on their clipboards. Every time they come in, I tell them I want to see Abby or my parents. Whenever I say anything, though, they pretend I’m not even there.

I’m far from one hundred percent both mentally and physically. I still can’t remember what happened on the day of my coma. Memories start to come in from the days before, but just subtle ones. I remember the weekend before Tuesday’s events; Abby and I went to dinner and a movie. A lousy comedy accompanied by a pretty good Mexican dinner. Everything was just so normal. How could someone possibly have attacked Abby that Tuesday? Abby is such a sweet girl — that’s why I married her. She didn’t have an enemy in the world — at least, none that I knew of. Somebody attacking her must be a random occurrence. That’s the only possible explanation. What doesn’t add up in my mind, though, is why I’m lying here in a hospital bed too. Nurse Jackie said that Abby was attacked, but she didn’t say anything about me. Was my reason for being in here related to Abby? I would think so. It’s far-fetched odds to have two unrelated causes for having serious injuries at the same time. My head swells with thoughts of an elaborate car chase with the attacker; shots are fired and I do everything I can to save my beloved Abby. Then, in some unforeseen event, we both crash and end up where we are now. That’s how I would like to think things went, but knowing myself it was probably far less adventurous.

My heroic adventure is cut short with a very welcome surprise — my parents walk into my room. The first person I see is my mother, who has already begun to cry. My father is right behind her, a big grin on his face.

“Oh Andrew, it’s so great to see you. This damn hospital has gotten on my last nerve.” She gives me a big hug and kiss, and then continues. “They wouldn’t let us come in, not even for a moment. They said you were in a fragile state and couldn’t handle any unnecessary excitement. Evidently, you’re OK now. Do you feel OK?”

“Yeah, mom. I’m all right,” I reassure her. The truth is, I’m far from all right. “What happened mom? They won’t tell me anything.”

Just like that, the excitement of seeing me fades and things take a more serious tone.

“They haven’t told you anything? Well, that doesn’t surprise me. The authorities have been coming in and out like crazy. They ask us all these questions but I never have any answers. I tell them my boy and Abby are good kids and they would never do anyone any harm. They said the man who did this was some guy around your age. He went to the same high school as Abby. Zach Jones, have you ever heard of him?”

Zach Jones? I feel like I’ve heard the name before. Not for a long, long time, though. “Zach Jones. Zach Jones.” I keep saying it out loud, hoping something clicks. Did Abby ever mention a Zach Jones before? My mind stirs around on it for a few minutes, and then it hits me. “Abby did mention a Zach Jones. It was a long time ago, before we were even married. She said they dated for a few weeks during her senior year of high school, but she broke up with him. Abby said he didn’t take it well and kind of stalked her until college. Then he tried calling her a few times freshmen year. One time, after we had started dating, he called one night while I was there. She usually just let it ring, but this time she picked up the phone and yelled at him, telling him to never call her again. Ever since then she never mentioned him, and for all I know he never called again. That’s so crazy. Why would he attack her after all these years? Just out of the blue?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t know.”

“How is Abby? Have you heard anything?”

“Do you not remember anything, Andrew?”

“No mom, the last thing I remember is the Saturday before, when Abby and I went out to dinner. Everything from then on is a complete blur. I don’t remember any of it.”

“Oh, Andrew. Really? I can’t believe that! She’s not good, sweetie. The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with her but, I don’t know, we haven’t seen her,” she stops herself and starts crying. Once she gains some composure she continues, “Apparently, this Zach person came into her work with a gun and ordered her to leave and get in his car. He drove off with her and nobody could find them. They got in touch with you right away and you drove down to see if you could help find her. Apparently you did, Andrew! It wasn’t until much later in the day but you were the one to find her.”

My mother doesn’t have to tell me the rest of the story, because the memories all start coming back. A moment ago I couldn’t remember anything and now it all comes in crystal clear. I remember getting the phone call right as I got to work. Normally, I would never answer the phone from an anonymous number but something in me felt compelled to answer it this time. It was the police telling me what had happened. I quickly told one of my bosses and ran out of the office.

I’d never driven so fast in my life. For the first time in history, I drove forty-five minutes on an Ohio highway without seeing a police officer. It’s a good thing too, because I’m not sure I would have stopped if I did. I went straight to Abby’s work where I could see the door was broken into. The area was mobbed with police cars. I didn’t count, but there had to have been fifteen to twenty, all with their lights on.

I’ve had enough run-ins with the police to know that it’s nothing like the movies. Police officers generally don’t give a shit, or they have other priorities more important than your situation.

The officer I spoke with assured me everything was going to be fine — that they would find Abby as soon as possible. I asked him if they knew who the person was and he said they didn’t. They only knew that he has black hair and he took her in an unidentified car. No license plate or brand name of the car was given. The only description was that it was black.

I remember leaving there as soon as I could. I was actually a bit surprised they let me go. Deputies in the movies always have a sneaking suspicion of the boyfriend/husband. He must have been able to tell I’m not a good actor and I clearly wasn’t faking it.

I drove everywhere I could, covering every back road and shady street corner looking for anything suspicious. What I was doing seemed pretty pointless because I was going on almost no information. I didn’t see one black car, only a couple black SUV’s and black mini-vans. I almost stopped them but my better judgment told me that it wasn’t a car so there’s no way it could be Abby’s kidnapper.

That’s when I got the call. It was in the afternoon around two o’clock. It wasn’t from the deputy, but from Abby’s phone. I pulled the car to the side of the road and picked up. It was her, my sweet and dearest Abby. She only had time to say two words.

“Re…ser…voir. A…lone.”

It was a struggle for her to say anything. I shouted back her name but she didn’t answer. I looked down at my phone, “Call Ended.”

The reservoir is near where Abby grew up. It’s a beautiful area about thirty minutes south from our current home. During the summer we go there sometimes to picnic and spend the day. There’s one spot in particular she takes me to that’s quite beautiful. It’s hard to get to because it’s deep in the wilderness and there isn’t a road taking you all the way there. Abby has rocks and other notable objects to keep from getting lost.

The memories keep coming like I’m re-living what happened…

I try calling her back but she doesn’t answer. Hearing her voice has given me a shot of adrenaline; she’s alive. It makes sense for me to go to the reservoir but what does alone mean? Does that mean she’s alone, or does it mean I need to come alone? I try calling her again. “Come on Abby, pick up!” She doesn’t answer, though. I have to assume this means to come alone, so I start driving as fast as I can. I drive around ninety miles per hour on the highway and, fortunately again, I don’t pass any police cars. It’s the most intense hour of driving I’ve ever done.

When I make it to the reservoir, I drive by a small bait and tackle shop. Time is critical but I need some kind of protection. When I enter the store, I see it’s mostly various fishing equipment. Tiny fishhooks are not my idea of protection. Right when I give up and am about to leave the store, I see an ax beside the door. At first I think it isn’t for sale, but then I pick it up and see a price tag of $19.99, so I run to the front desk to buy it. I pay with cash because I don’t want the police knowing I just bought an ax, especially since I didn’t tell them about my phone call from Abby.

Why haven’t I called the police yet? I’m really not sure, but something inside me feels like if I don’t come alone he’ll kill her.

When I get to the reservoir, there’s nobody around. In the summer there’s always lots of people out, but it’s the middle of a weekday in late fall. I go through back roads for about fifteen minutes; I have the route memorized.

The entrance to Abby’s place is hard to spot, but after you find it it’s easier to navigate once inside. Despite not being an official road, you can drive part of the way. Even my little Cavalier can handle this off-road path, although on a normal day I probably wouldn’t go out here if it were raining.

Once I find the entrance, I don’t look back because I know there aren’t any cars or humans for at least a mile. The path is just as I remember. Trees on each side, the leaves are starting to turn colors with the fall season. The path gets darker and darker the farther you go in. After a few minutes, I reach the end of the trail section where you can travel by car. There’s a little area where you can make a U-turn out, which always made me wonder if this trail was somehow human built at some point. The trail looks natural, but it seems odd that it perfectly fits a car.

I stop and turn the car off, then reach for my ax. I take the $19.99 price tag off, which is my way of procrastinating for what’s about to come. I’m not even sure if Abby is here, but something deep inside me believes she is.

I take a deep breath and think for one last minute if I should call the police. I look at my cell phone, which still has one bar signal. I think about how long it would take them to get out here and if I would be able to describe where to find me. I’m no hero and would love for the police to be here. The location, I think, is ultimately what makes me not call. I’m lousy with directions, and even worse at giving them. By the time I explain how to get here, Abby could very well be dead. No, I won’t call, but I’ll keep my phone in my pocket in case I get in a pinch. Maybe the police can find me through the GPS on my phone, not that it will do me any good if I’m dead when they get here.

I get out of the car, not shutting the door all the way because I want to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Abby’s place is a pretty far walk, but it’s a beautiful little area carved out in the woods. It’s near a creek where you can listen to the sounds of the water flowing over the rocks. It’s shaded, but has a little opening where you can get some sun if you want. If you were the type of person interested in living in the middle of the woods, this would be the spot.

After twenty minutes of following the trail, I finally get there. As soon as I do, I know something isn’t right. Abby’s place no longer looks anything related to the place that I know. In the center, where we usually lay a blanket down and have a picnic, there appears to be a huge hole. The ground around it has mounds and mounds of dirt.

All of a sudden I’m terrified. I get my ax and hold it with my best baseball grip. I look around but don’t see anyone. I feel like at any moment someone is going to come up behind me and club me when my back is turned. I do a 360-degree turn to see if they’re behind me, and when I don’t see anyone I run to the hole and look down.

What I see are my most terrified thoughts coming true; Abby is lying at the bottom. The hole is around twenty feet deep. It must have taken weeks, if not months to dig up — a real lunatic did this.

“Abby!” I shout. She’s curled up in the fetal position. It’s hard to see, but I think I see her move.

“Abby, can you hear me? It’s Andrew.”

Still no response, then I remember our brief phone conversation where I could barely understand her… “Re..ser…voir. A…lone.”

She doesn’t speak, but what she does next, I find quite peculiar. Slowly, she moves her arm up and points a finger at me. Why is she pointing at me?

By the time I make the connection that she isn’t pointing at me but at what’s behind me, it’s too late. I feel a hand against my back, pushing me into the hole. In that split second, as I’m falling forward, instinct takes over and I turn my body around. With my left hand I make a desperate attempt at grabbing hold of whatever I can. By sheer luck, I grab the shirt of the kidnapper — the kidnapper who I now know to be Zach Jones. He’s dressed in all black, and the snarl on his face fills me with rage. As soon as I get a firm grasp of his shirt, I pull him down with me. His snarl turns to shock. He does everything he can to keep his balance, but his size and strength aren’t enough. It’s too late for both of us. We both go tumbling down into the hole, and the next thing I remember is being in a hospital bed hearing Nurse Jackie’s footsteps.

“Oh, Andrew. That’s horrible,” my mother says as she wipes tears from her eyes. My father, who rarely shows emotion, is even fighting back tears. Before I have a chance to say anything, Nurse Jackie comes in.

“Hey, so sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know there will be an officer coming in shortly to speak with you. I did everything I could to prevent it. I told them you weren’t in good enough shape to be interrogated at the moment, but they insisted it was urgent.”

“It’s OK,” I tell her. At this moment, I’ve never liked Jackie more. Just based on her expression I can tell she’s on my side and looking after me. “I’d rather talk now and get it over with. Nurse Jackie, go ahead and let the officer know I’m ready whenever they are.”

“Sure thing, hon.”

As she leaves, I scramble my brain to think of anything I need to tell my parents. I imagine it won’t be long before the officer is here to see me.

“Mom, dad, don’t tell anyone what I just told you. Let me be the one who tells people what happened.”

“Sure, Andrew. Of course,” my mother says.

Why do I want to keep it secret? I can’t think of a good reason why I should, other than I naturally tend to keep things to myself. I suppose it doesn’t really matter if they know the details. They found me and they know I didn’t do it. Since I was found they must already know about the hole and Abby’s secret spot. Now that I think about it, how did they find me? I didn’t tell anyone where I went, and there’s no way anyone could just stumble on Abby’s place.

I imagine this officer as a real dick — someone who doesn’t take shit from anyone and yells and gets in your face. I hope he’ll go easy on me because I’ve just been in a coma, but the man I’m envisioning would do nothing of the sort.

There’s a knock on the door.

“Excuse me, so sorry to interrupt. I’m Deputy Vogul.”

I look up to inspect what I’m up against and see Deputy Vogul is… a woman. OK, not the big macho deputy I was imagining but that doesn’t mean she’s not about to make my life miserable.

“Hi there, are you Andrew’s parents?” My parents nod. “What a tragic thing that’s happened. I want you to know you have my deepest sympathy. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”

“Oh, well thank you,” my mother says.

“I hate to do this, but I need a couple minutes with your son. The media is going nuts over this. I just need to ask Andrew a few quick questions so I can get these vultures to go away. I promise I’ll make it as brief as possible. We both know Andrew’s gone through a lot.” Deputy Vogul’s attention turns toward me. “Is that OK with you Andrew? Can I ask you a few questions?”

“Sure, of course,” I say but don’t really mean. Deputy Vogul seems nice on the outside, but let’s see what she’s really like when it’s just her and me with the door shut.

She walks my parents out with a big smile on her face, and closes the door behind them.

“Andrew. Andrew. Andrew. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” I say.

“I know it’s just awful, Andrew. Have you had a chance to see your wife yet?”

“No not yet.”

“Oh, I do apologize. I hope she’s all right. I know you’re probably exhausted so I’ll get straight to it. What can you tell me about that day? Did you speak with the kidnapper?”

“No.”

“Then how did you know where to go?”

As friendly as Deputy Vogul seems to be, I want to tell her as little as possible. Abby’s phone call is something I know I can’t lie about, though. At the very least, police are able to track and see she called me. They may even have a tape of the recording.

“She called me and told me where she was. It’s somewhere her and I go frequently when we want to get away.”

“I see, and what happened when you got there?” I’m glad she doesn’t ask why I didn’t call the police first.

“She was in a huge hole. The kidnapper came from behind and pushed me into it, then I grabbed him as I was falling and pulled him in with me.”

Deputy Vogul, surprised by my answer, pauses and thinks before asking her next question.

“So, let me get this straight. The kidnapper pushed you, and then you grabbed him. Then, you both fell into a hole, and then you don’t remember anything after that. Is that what you’re telling me happened?”

“Yes,” I say. “That IS what happened.”

“Interesting story, Andrew. Very interesting. There’s just one little problem, though. There weren’t three people in the hole when we got there. Only one person, your wife.”

“Wait, what?” I say with disbelief. “That can’t be. I’m not lying to you. That’s what happened.”

She proceeds cautiously, “Andrew, that may be what you think happened. I’ve seen it before; traumatic circumstances can play strange tricks on the memory. There’s no way your story can be true, though. You were sitting by a tree when we got there.”

“Sitting by a tree? That can’t be. I remember falling. Falling down that hole with the kidnapper falling down with me.”

“Did the kidnapper have any marks on him? Any scratches or injuries?” she asks.

“Well, I didn’t really have a lot of time to look at him. It happened so fast. The last thing I remember is hitting the ground.”

“Do you remember what he looked like?” she asks.

I only saw him for a second, but I remember what he looks like quite well. I know he has black hair, stands around 5′10″, scrawny guy. I remember he was very hairy, his arms and legs were covered in thick, black hair. How do I know so much about what he looks like?

“I… uh… don’t remember anything.” Why do I have to be such a terrible liar? I can tell she doesn’t believe me.

“Interesting, Andrew. Very interesting,” says Deputy Vogul. “I’m sorry again though, Andrew. I think you remember more about what he looked like than that. Why aren’t you telling me the truth? I’m here to help you.”

“I’m not lying,” I shout. “I was there and this is what I remember happening. Why don’t you believe that?”

In a triumphant manner, Deputy Vogul pulls out a set of pictures from a binder she’s holding. My jaw hits the floor.

Chapter 23

The first picture Deputy Vogul shows me is an image of me lying up against a tree. That isn’t what has me in disbelief. The shocking part is that in my right hand I’m holding the ax I bought — only it’s covered in blood. In fact, my shirt is splattered with blood also. I try to have some sort of response, but nothing comes out. Deputy Vogul breaks the silence.

“That was where we found you, Andrew. This is where we found Mr. Jones, Abby’s kidnapper.” She places another picture in front of me. The picture is of the kidnapper, at least from what I can tell. His body is completely mutilated from what looks like several crushing blows from an ax.

It doesn’t take a genius to put this together — bloody ax and clothes on me, dead mutilated body nearby. My God, what have I done? How can this be? I don’t remember any of this. While I get memory bursts here and there, this time I draw a blank. I remember falling down that hole and grabbing this Zach guy on the way down. Did I make all of that up in my head? Did I not want to face the truth?

“I… uhh,” this is all I can say. What is there to say? I’m sure there’s more than enough evidence to prove I did this. Am I going to go to jail for life for something I don’t even remember doing? Deputy Vogul seems to have read my mind and breaks the silence again.

“Andrew, I can tell this is quite shocking to you and that you don’t remember this happening. Is that correct?”

“I don’t remember this happening at all!” I blurt out. I’m not sure if I should have admitted this, but before I can think it through, Deputy Vogul continues.

“I want you to know again Andrew I’m on your side. I can’t imagine what it must be like to find out your wife has been kidnapped. I have two kids, and if I found out a kidnapper took them I would have done the same thing you did, maybe worse.” She gives off a half smile. “I’m going to try to help you, but you have to trust me. I think your situation deals with a case I’ve been working on for over ten years now and I get a feeling you could be a real breakthrough in solving it. It’s for this reason I’m going to help you out Andrew, so listen carefully and do exactly as I say.”

She looks into my eyes, as if to tell me to pay very close attention to every word.

“Andrew, I’d like to make some small modifications to what you think happened. I have some evidence that may prove your innocence, but if you use your current story we could be in trouble. Does that sound all right?” she asks.

“Yeah, sure,” I say, very interested in what she’s going to say next.

“Everything you said about getting the phone call and going to the reservoir you can keep the same. You also need to keep the bit about you going and getting an ax first, because we already have testimony from the storeowner that you bought it. That whole story about you falling down in the hole with Zach obviously has to go, but I don’t want you to say you don’t remember anything. What you do remember is looking down in that hole and then, before you could turn around, someone came up behind you and put something over your mouth. Next thing you knew, you were in the hospital.” She pauses for a second to let me digest the story. “If anyone asks you to provide any details about the attacker, you tell them you know nothing. You couldn’t tell if they were male or female, tall or short, or if their skin was brown or blue. All you know is someone put some kind of rag over your face and you don’t remember anything else. Got it?”

“Yes, I got it,” I say.

“OK, good. I’ll get a report drafted up. It’s imperative you remember every detail of this story. Are you sure everything is crystal clear, Andrew?”

“Yes, Deputy Vogul. Thank you so much!”

“Don’t mention it dear. Everything is going to be all right, I promise. I’ll make sure the nurses give you the opportunity to see your wife soon. Take care of yourself. I’ll be in touch.” With that, she gets up and walks out of the room.

I tell my parents my conversation with Deputy Vogul, including the modified story she told me. I leave out any details about the pictures Deputy Vogul showed me; I’m not sure they’re ready to hear about that yet. I make it very clear they are not to tell anyone what I think really happened.

About twenty minutes go by before Nurse Jackie walks in. I’m sure she’s dying to know what Deputy Vogul and I discussed, but I think she’s too scared to ask with my parents around.

“Good news, Andrew. You can go see Abby now.” After a brief pause she continues, “I’m not sure of her condition, but keep in mind having a loved one near can sometimes help with the healing process. Be sure to give her as much love and support as you can.”

I’m taken off guard. I finally get to see Abby! Even though she’s in bad shape, I still can’t wait to see her. I tell Nurse Jackie I’m ready and, with that, I get moved to a wheelchair. I’ve come a long way in the last few days. Eating, drinking, and all of that other stuff are becoming more normal. They still don’t want me walking around, though. They say my medications can cause sudden dizziness so it’s best that I remain sitting for a couple more days until they’re reduced. I’ve taken a few steps, though, and seem to be doing fine so far.

Nurse Jackie pushes me in the wheelchair with my parents following along behind her. I’m really starting to like Nurse Jackie. There’s something about someone taking care of you during your most vulnerable moments that gives you a strong emotional connection with them. I make some small talk with her, asking her where she’s from and where she went to school. She’s from small-town Ohio like I am, and still in grad school at Ohio State. We talk about the football team, but when she tells me we’re almost there I start to get incredibly nervous and the small talk ends.

I take a deep breath and think about what I’m about to see. What kind of shape will she be in?

“Here’s her room,” Nurse Jackie tells me. Outside the door are Abby’s parents. When I’m pushed in, the room is quite large — much larger than mine. Abby’s bed sits in the center against a wall. There aren’t any tubes or wires hooked up to her, which is a huge relief to me. Maybe they’re there but at least hidden from my view. Nurse Jackie pushes me next to her bed and leaves. Both Abby’s and my parents are in the room with me — big family gathering.

“Hey there, sweetie. How are you doing?” It chokes me just to say this. I look at Abby’s face and it’s still as beautiful as the first day we met. Even without makeup Abby is very pretty.

She turns over slowly and tries to give me a smile. She then opens her mouth to speak, but not much comes out. I think she says “Hey” but it’s hard for me to tell so I push my wheelchair up closer to her.

“Abby, I love you so much, it’s so great to see you. Everything is going to be OK sweetie, I promise.” I put my hand on her arm and massage it gently. I get a hopeless feeling knowing there’s really nothing I can do for her. No way to help her get better. She tries to speak again, but nothing comes out. She gives off a look of pain.

“It’s OK. You don’t have to say anything now. Do you want some water or anything?” This is the only thing I can think of to do for her. When she nods, I’m happy to know I can help. I take the water sitting on the tray next to her and hold it up to her mouth. She takes a few swallows and I give her a big smile that she reciprocates. I stroke her hair and take in how much I missed seeing her face.

For the next minute, there’s really not much I can say — at least, not with everyone around me. Somehow, Abby’s father must pick up on what I’m thinking.

“Why don’t we leave them alone for a few minutes,” he says. With that, everyone clears out of the room leaving just Abby and me. With the blinds down, nobody is there to see us. That’s why I’m shocked by what happens next.

“Andrew, listen to me!” Abby says with surprising clarity. “We don’t have a lot of time, so pay attention. How are you doing? Did they say how much longer you would be in here?”

“Ummm, they said they were slowly taking me off my medications. I’m guessing in a few more days they might be able to let me go.

“Good, get out of here as soon as possible. Just as soon as they’ll let you.”

“Abby, what’s going on?”

“There’s no time to explain. You need to get out of here as soon as you can. When you do, a man in a black car is going to come after you.”

“A man in a black car? Abby, what are you talking about?”

“There’s no time to explain, Andrew! Once he does, kill him. You have to kill him!”

“Abby, are you OK? I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine, just do it! He’s going to try to kill you. If the police are involved that will only make it more likely he succeeds. You’ll have the element of surprise in your favor. Buy a gun and do it. Don’t come back to the hospital until you do. Do it as soon as possible, though; I can’t fake being sick much longer. The doctors are starting to become suspicious.”

If this were anyone other than Abby, I’d have thought they had gone completely bat shit crazy. But I know her better than anyone else on Earth. She wouldn’t be saying these things unless deep down inside she knew they were true. Still, the part of me that has to know every last detail speaks out.

“Abby, just tell me what this is all about. Why on Earth do I have to kill someone?”

She has no time to answer because the door opens and a doctor I’ve not seen before walks in.

“Oh, well hello,” he says. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Abby had company. I presume you are…” he stops himself and checks his notebook. “You must be Andrew, correct?”

“Yes, that’s me.” He introduces himself as Dr. Stevens and we shake hands.

“I’m terribly sorry you have to see your wife in this shape. I’m doing everything in my power to help, but I’m afraid progress has been very slow. Nothing seems to work.”

For a brief moment I think this guy is joking with me. Then I remember Abby is putting on her best acting show. I look over and she’s lying back down on her side with her eyes closed. How did she move so quickly?

Abby is much better at acting than I am. I would never be able to pull off fake incoherence with a doctor like she’s doing. Of course, she did do plays and other theater all through college, so a comatose patient should be an easy role for her.

Dr. Stevens politely asks me to leave, and I wonder how much longer it will take before he realizes the true state of Abby’s condition.

Over the next couple days, I go over what Abby told me what seems like a million times. Each time it makes less and less sense. Physically though I’m doing extremely well. Nurse Jackie goes on and on about different charts and numbers. I’m a numbers guy so I listen, but I don’t know what good and bad numbers are so it’s hard for me to follow. Bottom line, though, she tells me I’ll be free to go tomorrow if I want to.

“Yes, I can’t wait to get out of this hospital for a few days,” I tell her.

She looks at me with some concern. Then, before I know it, she blurts out, “Don’t you want to be with your wife?”

The truth is, of course I want to be with her. If it were my choice I would spend every last waking second with her, hospital bed or not. After being with Abby this long, I’m still just as happy spending time with her now as the first days we met. Abby has given me a job to do, though. The most absurd job ever, but a job she desperately thinks I need to do.

“I know she’s in good hands here,” I say. “I just need to run a few errands, make sure the phone bill gets paid on time, ya know?”

She gives me a suspicious look, and for a moment I wonder if she somehow knows the crazy plan. Then I remind myself she couldn’t know anything. How could she?

“We have people here that can tend to those things if you need. Just let me know.”

“I appreciate it, but I really think I just need a little fresh air and to get out for awhile. I’ll be back soon, though.”

Maybe I’m stupid, but I think Nurse Jackie is starting to take an interest in me. She’s come in a lot these past forty-eight hours, and it usually involves general conversation instead of the status of my well being. She talks about her coworkers and how annoying some of the doctors are, and also how she just broke up with her boyfriend. Every time she comes in now, she seems to get closer and closer to me and always puts her hand on my arm when she talks. “Andrew, if there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know. Just push the red button and I’ll come right away,” she tells me.

Perhaps she’s desperate coming off a bad breakup. Whatever it is, as good looking as Nurse Jackie is, I’m not interested. She’s a bit too young and immature for my liking. Besides, Abby needs me and I love her.

The next morning, my doctor comes in with Nurse Jackie and gives me one final checkup.

“Well Andrew, everything looks good. I think you’re all set to go. I still don’t think you’re quite ready to drive a car yet, so if you want to leave the hospital and go home, your parents will need to drive you. I would recommend you take it easy for a day or two more, and then you can resume whatever it is you need or want to do.”

“Thank you, doctor,” I tell him. “You guys have been amazing, and I’m so thankful for you and your staff for all the work you’ve done to get me to this point.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he says. “I wish you the best.” With that, he walks out of the room. I can tell that while I’ll never forget him, he won’t be able to pick me out of a line-up a year from now.

Now it’s just Nurse Jackie and me, which I have to admit is starting to make me a bit uncomfortable.

“Well Andrew, I’m really going to miss you. You take care of yourself, OK?”

“Uhh, sure thing, Nurse Jackie.”

She giggles, “Oh, you can just call me Jackie now.”

“Sure thing, Jackie,” I tell her.

As soon as I say it, she gives me a big hug. The standard hug, I would say, lasts a few seconds at most. After ten seconds, though, I open my mouth to try and say something, but can’t think of anything that isn’t stupid. To my relief, she finally lets go and I can see on her face she’s crying.

“I really am going to miss you, Andrew. You’ve been my favorite patient I’ve ever had.”

“You’re young, Jackie. I’m sure there will be plenty of great patients to come along in the future.” Of course, when I say “patients” I really mean something else. It’s my subtle and kind way of saying, “Back off sister, I’m married.”

I don’t know if the same message carries through to her. She asks again if I need any more help, and I say I’m fine. Then, we say our goodbyes and she walks out of the room.

My parents soon greet me, and my mom has a huge grin on her face. I don’t think she’s been this happy in her entire life. We’ve already had the discussion, but she asks again anyway.

“Andrew, are you sure you want to go home now? They say Abby is starting to get better.”

“I’m fine mom, I’ll come back in a couple days. I just want to go home. I miss my Wifi connection,” I joke to try to ease the mood. Apparently, it’s enough to get her off my back about leaving.

I do want to go see Abby before I leave, but I’ve already been told nobody is allowed to see her today. My mother tells me Abby’s parents weren’t thrilled to hear that news, but the doctors say it’s imperative she gets her rest.

I climb into the wheelchair, even though I feel I’m more than capable of walking. It seems to be some kind of tradition with hospitals that you get pushed out in a wheelchair. Of course Nurse Jackie offered to take me, but I said my parents could handle the task.

On the way home we make a lunch detour. I could have asked them to treat me to a four-hundred-dollar meal and I think they wouldn’t have hesitated for a second, but instead I have them take me to where I’m really craving — Taco Bell. I splurge on a couple extra bean burritos, enjoying my first taste of something other than hospital food.

When we get home, I’m overjoyed to be here. I miss my couch, my flat screen TV, my WiFi connection, and the way the light comes in through our skylights. Life is good, although I have some mixed feelings from my latest memories in this house. Even though my seven-day journey in a world with everyone gone was just a comatose dream, it felt so real. Is it normal when you’re in a coma to have one long dream like the one I experienced? I make a mental note to research this too, later.

Without being allowed to drive, I’m still quite helpless. I make a list and my dad goes to the grocery to pick up supplies for me. Since I know they’re paying, I make sure to add a few more items to the list. My mother and I watch TV, waiting by the phone for any updates on Abby. Her and Abby have had a bit of a rocky relationship, but what mother and daughter-in-law relationship isn’t edgy when it comes to sharing an only child? They get along well enough, though.

My mother expresses more concern with Abby than I do, but that’s because she doesn’t know what I do. My mind races with what Abby told me. The man in the black car — where am I supposed to find him? How am I supposed to kill him? I don’t even have a gun. While my mom is distracted with some girly show, I do some research online. Turns out, there’s a gun store about a mile from my house. It’s in a sketchy area, which is why I’ve never seen it before. I read the reviews and see it got two out of five stars. Looks like a lot of people living nearby complain about the kind of clientele the store brings in. This review says, “They would let practically anyone go in there and buy a gun.” Perfect – just what I want! It says they are open until eight.

My dad gets home and mom prepares a delicious pasta dinner, which has always been my favorite dish she makes. After dinner, she insists they stay the night. If it weren’t for my new plan, I would love for them to stay. I don’t really feel like being alone now. Partly because Abby scared the shit out of me, and partly because I just don’t want to be alone. It’s rare that I’m alone for the night. Maybe once a year Abby’s friends plan a get together where they all stay at a hotel and party like college kids. Other than that, Abby comes home everyday at a quarter to six like clockwork.

I have to ask my parents to leave, though. It’s urgent that I get a gun as soon as possible in case the man in the black car comes after me tonight. I briefly consider just coming clean and telling them I want a gun to feel safe. I’m sure my dad would be all for it; we’ve already had the discussion before. I remember telling him I’m not a gun person and wouldn’t even feel comfortable having it in the house. That was before these past few days, though. Now someone is supposedly coming after me, not to mention my chances of getting to heaven have become non-existent since I’ve axed someone to death.

When I tell my mother I just want to be alone tonight, she’s disappointed to say the least. You would have thought I told her I was going off to war.

“Mom, it’s been a hard few days. I just want some rest and alone time.”

It takes a little persuading, but she finally caves in. They have a hotel near the hospital twenty minutes away, and she tells me to call her as soon as I get up.

“OK, mom. But just so you know, the coma has been affecting my sleep. So don’t start freaking out if it’s eleven o’clock before I call.”

“OK Andrew,” she tells me. She doesn’t convince me she’s not worried, but that’s how mothers are.

When they leave, I decide I better not waste any time. The store closes at eight and it’s seven now. The last thing I want is to keep a disgruntled gun store owner past closing time.

I have no idea what kind of trouble I could get in by driving now, but my guess is a whole hell of a lot. I’m usually a pretty safe driver minus a few tickets and, well, flipping Abby’s car over in my coma dream. I also don’t know what the protocol is for buying guns. Considering I’ve got some new history on my records, I decide if they have to run a background check I’ll make some excuse to get out of there and leave. If it’s just a matter of showing a driver’s license and writing my name down, I can risk that. I don’t have any other choice.

I open the garage door and look at Abby’s black BMW, shiny and beautiful as ever. It’s such a weird feeling seeing it here. I had such a traumatic experience the last time I thought I was in it.

I fire up the GPS and less than ten minutes later, I find the shady-looking gun store. I can see why the reviews were bad. The location alone is enough for me to give it one star. Perhaps bringing the BMW here instead of my Cavalier was a bad idea.

When I walk in I see an old man behind the counter, his black rottweiler standing next to him. He reminds me of Cujo and my heart races, thinking more and more that this is a bad idea. When I look around, there’s an assortment of guns in all shapes and sizes. I consider looking for a shotgun that’s similar to the one I had in my dreams, but I’m not here for entertainment. I’m here for a small killing machine.

There’s a glass shelf at the counter where the storeowner is standing. This is where the pistols are. I walk up, afraid the old man is going to start talking to me. I’m sure anything that comes out of my mouth will sound stupid. Ready to get out of here, I point to the first one I see.

“I’ll take that one,” I say a little too loudly. The old man gets out of his chair and makes his way up to the counter. He looks down at the gun, then looks up at me.

“This one?” he says as he points to the correct gun.

“Yes,” I say.

With a bit of a drawl, he says “Very well. Do you need ammo for it, too?”

“Yes, please.”

He reaches under the counter and picks up a box of bullets. Thank God I didn’t have to figure out the ammo on my own.

Then he asks, “Will that be all?”

“Yes, sir.” As I say this, I know this step is the most important in the operation. Will he ask for my driver’s license? Will he be able to pull up my information just with that? Do I fill out a form and then he runs a background check later?

All of the answers turn out to be a big no. What happens instead, I couldn’t have predicted in my wildest dreams.

“Very well, meet me over here at the counter. Will you be paying with cash or credit today?”

“Cash,” I say more excitingly than I want. Abby and I always have a thousand dollars in cash tucked away for emergencies, which comes in handy in this situation.

He rings me up and says, “OK, that will be $323.47.”

I hand him the money, and he takes a moment to put it in a nice little box and paper bag. Before I walk out he says, “Have a nice evening, sir. Be careful.”

At this point, I can’t believe what just happened. No background check, no nothing. It was like I went to the grocery store to buy eggs. I couldn’t have written a better script for how this turned out. By paying with cash, I can’t be traced. The only way someone could find out I bought this gun is if there was a surveillance camera, but there didn’t appear to be one. Thinking back, I realize I should have worn a ball cap or something to hide my face. I shouldn’t be too picky, though; I just walked in and bought a gun without having to give away any information.

When I get home, I do some research on how incredible of a feat this was. I make sure to use all the encryption tools I know so I can’t be tracked by what I’m searching. As it turns out, buying a gun this way in Ohio isn’t extraordinary at all. In fact, it’s quite normal. Most storeowners will ask for your name and some other information, but it isn’t required.

For the rest of the evening I figure out how to load it, which is simple enough. I’m tempted to go outside and fire a test shot, but the last thing I need is for the neighbors to call the police.

Instead, I cozy up by my bed and read a book. It’s a lonely feeling being here without Abby. I hope she’s doing OK. Once I’m ready to go to sleep, I think about what tomorrow will bring me. Like the days in my coma, I never expected anything bad to happen, but something always did. Tonight, I fall asleep optimistic that tomorrow will be a pretty boring day.

Chapter 24

When I wake up, I realize I’ve slept in later than I have in the last ten years. Usually, it doesn’t matter how late I get to bed; I always wake up before eight o’clock. This morning I turn over and see it’s 8:40. I can feel it too. It’s like I just woke from another coma.

I put on a pair of my jeans and tuck the gun away in my belt. This probably isn’t where the hoodlums conceal it, but I fear shooting myself in the leg and this seems like the safest place to put it.

Wondering what I should do today, I realize I haven’t checked the mail yet. Did anyone put a stop mail request in? I guess we’ll find out.

When I step outside, it’s a warm day. It’s much nicer than normal for this time of year. The sun is out and it warms my skin. I think in this moment how sweet it is to be alive and healthy again.

What I see next though will change my life forever.

Parked across the street, there’s a man sitting inside a black car with his window down. He appears to be reading something. I walk toward him, my right hand reaching toward my gun. When he finally looks up, he smiles at me then returns to whatever he was reading. He must sense that I’m still walking toward him because in another second or two he looks back up at me. His smile fades, likely because I have a determined look on my face.

I pull the gun out of my belt and fumble around to turn off the safety, trying to keep my eyes on him.

“Wha… What are you doing mister?” he says.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” I ask as I point the gun at him.

“Nothing sir, I’m afraid I’m lost and I was looking down at this here map to see where I went wrong.”

I’m standing a few feet from him, and I can’t see the map to tell if he’s lying. I look over at the car, making sure the man stays in my peripheral vision. It’s not like the futuristic car from my coma.

“Where are you trying to go?” I ask.

“I… umm… I was looking for the highway.” His stutter and hesitation make me think he’s trying to come up with a story.

“Well, where are you coming from that you got lost?”

“Uhh, I’m not sure. Mister, please. Please don’t hurt me.” The words he says and the expression on his face don’t match up. His forehead scolds and he has a look of evil in his eyes. He only makes this face for a split second, but it’s the split second I need to close my eyes and pull the trigger.

The gun blast is loud, much louder than I ever would have expected. When I open my eyes I see I’ve connected with my target. The top half of his body was blown over to the passenger side, his head bleeding all over the seat. I can’t bear to look at what I’ve just done. Holy shit. I’ve just shot a complete stranger and immediately regret it. I look around to see if anyone is looking but don’t see anyone.

Contemplating what to do next, my first option is to walk back in the house and pretend I don’t know anything. Eventually someone will find the man. When they do, they’ll no doubt come knocking on my door. Will I be able to lie and say I don’t know anything? I’m not sure I will. Also, I have the murder weapon on me and I’m pretty sure police will be able to trace the gun back to me. My other option is to drive off with the car and get rid of the body. This seems to have even more loopholes that could land me in prison for the rest of my life. Fingerprints, people driving by seeing me, blood getting on my clothes, not to mention how the hell am I going to get home? That option seems out of the question.

I think I might be able to lie to the police, but what do I do with the gun? I have to get rid of it, but not in the house because I know they’ll find it. Burying it in the ground would look incredibly guilty, and would also be easy to find with metal detectors.

I run back inside to think and to make sure I’m not seen out here. One thing is certain; I need to get rid of this gun. I pray to God the gun store doesn’t have video surveillance. When the cops see the body, will they interrogate all nearby gun stores? I’m thinking it’s a strong possibility. I can’t imagine too many people go into his store every day, so I’m sure he’d remember me.

I put a pair of gloves on and rinse the gun under water, which I hope gets the fingerprints off. Then I put it and the ammo into a Zip-Loc bag. I have to get rid of this.

Then a realization occurs to me, something that makes me almost want to vomit. The bullet.

It’s almost certain they will find a bullet, and it’s even more certain the old man would be able to remember the last person he sold them to. Once this happens, the old man will give a description of me and the police will no doubt match that description to people within the area of the crime.

Now I feel I still have two options, the first being to get rid of the car and the body, which I’ve already decided is a bad option but still open for consideration. The second option is to look for the bullet, which risks me being seen near the body. Would I even be able to find the bullet, and don’t bullets break off into several pieces? There’s no way I’d be able to find all the ones in his head. The more I think about it, the more the bullet option seems out of the question too.

So, the two plans I have are terrible. Think, Andrew. Think. What can I do to get out of this mess? Abby, why did you have to tell me to kill the man in the black car? What’s the point of all of this?

Then I hear something, the sound of a car coming up the road. When I peek out I see the worst possible thing, a cop car pulls up behind the black car.

“Oh, shit!” I close my blinds so they can’t see me. I peek out the window to inspect what they’re up to. My mind can’t help wondering why they are here in the first place. We never have police officers on this street. Somebody must have called when they heard the gun shot.

I watch as the officer steps out of the car. My god, what will their reaction be when they see what’s inside? The officer walks over, a bit more casually then I might expect. They only look in for a moment, and then turn around looking toward my house. I move away from the window as fast as I can, hoping they didn’t see me. Damn it, did they see me? I’m tempted to take another peek out, but this would be stupid. I don’t think they saw me, but I don’t want to press my luck any more than I already have. I sit up against the wall hoping they just go away.

“Ding dong!” my doorbell rings. My life is over. I’m going to prison for the rest of eternity. What do I say? Do I lie? Of course I lie, but about what parts? Do I say I never even knew there was a dead body? Yes, that’s it. I’ll say I just happened to be peeking out and saw the cop car. Did they see me immediately close the blinds when they looked over? If so, that makes me look very suspicious. I’ll just say I was scared.

They pound on the door.

Can I just ignore them completely, pretending I’ve been in bed this whole time? If I hadn’t peeked out the damn window, I could have done just that. Now, I’ve convinced myself they saw me.

“Andrew, open up. I know you’re in there.”

Wait, how do they know my name? That voice, it sounds so familiar. I go to the door and open it. Deputy Vogul is standing there, looking calm and poised.

“Hey Andrew. Looks like we have a little situation on our hands.”

“I uhhh…” Before I can say something that I’ll probably regret, she interrupts me.

“It’s OK, Andrew. I know you shot that man over there. I’m glad you did!”

“Wh.. what?”

“That’s right, Andrew. I’m sure that’s not what you were expecting to hear, but there’s nothing to worry about. As long as you do everything I say, we should be OK. Hurry, though, we don’t have much time. Are you willing to do everything I say?”

“Uhh yes, of course.”

“OK, we need to get rid of this car before anyone sees it. I want you to get in and drive off with it. The keys are in the ignition. Now, fortunately, you managed to not break any glass or anything, so if you just roll the body onto the passenger-side floorboard no one should notice. Then, I want you to drive the car out to the reservoir.” She then gives me a series of instructions on where to go from there. Apparently, Deputy Vogul has her own secret place, but hers sounds even more confusing and hard to get to than Abby’s. She continues, “Once you’re there, Andrew, I want you to take the lighter fluid and matches I give you and torch the car. Burn it all up. I’ll come back at one o’clock to pick you up. You can let me take care of the rest. Got it?”

“Got it,” I say.

“Now, where did you put the gun?” she asks.

“It’s… uhh… it’s in the kitchen.”

“OK, I’ll take care of it. First, lets get you that lighter fluid from my car.”

I’m in total shock. I can’t believe what this woman is doing for me. Something just doesn’t add up. Why is she helping me? There’s no time to ask questions, though. She’s made that clear. We walk to the car and, out of her trunk, she gets a ton of lighter fluid and matches. While she’s doing that, I work on moving the man into the passenger seat. He isn’t that large, maybe weighing only 150 pounds, but I now have a full understanding of the meaning “dead weight.” Under normal circumstances, I would be throwing up from the sight of his bloody body. Are those his brains? My adrenaline is in full force, though. I’m all business as I finally get him into the passenger seat. I pray nobody sees what I’m doing.

Deputy Vogul throws all the supplies into the car. “Get out of here, now! I’ll see you later.”

I don’t even say goodbye, or thank you. I drive off as fast as this black car will take me.

I approach several cars on the way to Deputy Vogul’s place in the reservoir. It’s hard to look innocent but I do my best. I get stuck at a traffic light with a truck sitting to my left. If they look over, they’ll most certainly see the body. I stare at them the entire time, but they never look back.

Once I get to the reservoir, I recite Deputy Vogul’s directions over and over. It takes about fifteen minutes, but I finally get to where I think I’m supposed to be. There’s no way anyone could stumble onto this place; it’s way more concealed than Abby’s.

It doesn’t look like anyone has ever been out here, which makes me wonder if this really is the right spot. If it’s not, I don’t know where else to go, so I turn the car off and get the lighter fluid out of the backseat. At this point, I’m very worried I’m going to blow myself up. I’ve never set anything this big on fire in my life.

I dump all the lighter fluid onto and inside the car, exactly as Deputy Vogul instructed. I make sure to dump plenty on the body. I still can’t believe I’ve killed this man. I don’t even know him, never heard him say more than a few words. My only reason for doing it is because the woman I love told me to. I’m not even positive this is him. What was with Deputy Vogul’s comment, too? “I know you shot that man over there. I’m so glad you did!” None of it makes any sense.

I take one of the matches out of my pocket and light it. “Here goes nothing.” I toss it onto the body and run out of the way but nothing happens. When I look over, I see the flame went out. I should know now things don’t work like the movies.

I light another match, and this time I carefully lower it down. It ignites and the fire spreads faster than I expect. It’s not long before the entire car is engulfed in flames. I run far out of the way, thinking once the gas tank catches fire it’s going to make a pretty big explosion. Sure enough, it does and the sound is so loud I have to cover my ears. Somewhere out there, I’m sure somebody heard this. Smoke fills the air too, something I hadn’t thought of until now. If a park ranger is nearby I’m sure there’s enough smoke there for them to want to investigate. It could be worse, though. I’ve managed to avoid catching any trees on fire. The last thing I need is to burn the whole forest down.

I watch as the car burns and burns. I think back to my favorite part of the plan Deputy Vogul told me, “You can let me take care of the rest.”

Deputy Vogul said she would pick me up at one o’clock. I check the clock on my phone; it’s 1:03. She’s late. Maybe I’m not supposed to be waiting here.

Twenty more minutes pass and I start getting worried. Did she forget to come get me? It would take forever to get back if I walked. I don’t want to call anyone to come get me, being so close to the murder I’ve been covering up.

Right when I think I should start walking, I hear a car coming. It’s a police car, thank God! Sure enough, it’s Deputy Vogul who gets out of the car.

“OK, let’s see how you did.” We both walk over to assess my work. “Very good, Andrew. Very good. This fire should die down soon. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

We get in and I realize I’ve never been in the front of a police car before. There are so many gadgets and buttons, I feel like I’m in a cockpit.

“Andrew, you’re probably wondering why I’ve been helping you,” Deputy Vogul says. She doesn’t waste any time getting to the good stuff. “You see, as I mentioned before, I’ve been on this case for over ten years. There have been several unsolved murders. Many, I believe, are linked to the same person. There’s been a lot of debate about that within the agency. My personal opinion, though, is that there have been twelve murders over the last ten years that can be linked to someone they call the black car man. In reality, that number could be less or far more. After all these years, we’ve had very little to go on. We’ve never found any fingerprints or anything of that sort. Eyewitnesses claim to have seen him right before the crime was committed, or seen his car driving away. We also have some crappy surveillance footage, but we haven’t been able to get a license plate number or make on the car. We’ve never had anything sustainable to get a good idea of what he looked like or what kind of car he was driving.” Deputy Vogul takes a deep breathe, then continues.

“I’ve been working on this case almost exclusively, trying to find him. Nobody has ever made it out alive for questioning. Well, not until this time of course.

“I knew this was my best chance. I knew if I was ever going to find this bastard it would have to be now, because you managed to survive. I don’t know how or why, but you did. Apparently, the black car man put too much faith into this Zach Jones guy. He obviously didn’t get the job done. Anyway, I knew if I got too closely involved it would only scare him off. I’ve kept a very close eye on you these past couple days, knowing he might come after you. I watched you go to that gun store, well done. I didn’t know why you were there, but I guess I know now!” she chuckles. “I was going to keep you safe, maybe even plant a gun in your car for added protection. I have to ask, how did you know he was going to attack you? How did you know about the black car man?”

“Abby told me. She said to kill a man in a black car and to not go to the police. She insisted I do it myself so I would have the element of surprise.”

“Hmm, that’s interesting,” she says. “Well, I guess she was right about that! That’s all she told you?”

“Yes, that’s all she said. Kill the man in the black car.”

“She never gave a reason why?”

“She said he was going to try to kill me,” I say.

“Well she was probably right about that. You’re very lucky, Andrew. I’ve put your life in terrible danger, and I very much apologize for that.”

“No problem,” I say. “It’s worked out for the best.

“You’re darn right it has. I spent ten years of my life working on this, each and every day dreaming of the day this man would be put to justice. Then it happens by a guy who didn’t even know what he was doing,” she laughs.

I give off a sheepish grin, and when I look over and see her giving a wide smile I start to laugh to. I’m not sure why; murder is the last thing on Earth that should be funny. There are so many thoughts racing through my head; something doesn’t seem to add up from all of this.

“Can I ask you something?” I ask.

“Sure, go ahead” Deputy Vogul says.

There are so many things I want to ask her but don’t know where to begin, so I say the first thing that comes to mind, “How do you know this black car man was involved this time?”

“Oh, you finally caught onto that, did you? It’s simple. The black car man always leaves black hair near the body. Evidently, it’s his calling card.”

“Oh,” I say. Thinking how strange it is someone would do that. I consider asking more details about that, but instead I ask what I’m really interested to know. “Another question, why did you want me to hide the body and burn all the evidence?”

She hesitates, which I know very well means she could be thinking of some story to make up. I listen to her, though, expecting the truth.

“Well, part of it is because I feel like I owe you for putting you in harm’s way. Being involved with two different murder cases isn’t something you want to deal with. A lot of bad things could go wrong, and it doesn’t make you look any more innocent. You’re a hero, Andrew, but unfortunately it would take a lot of work to convince a jury of that. It’s simpler this way and a lot less paperwork. I’ll tell the department I’m giving up on the case. They’ll say OK because they’ve wanted me off it for quite some time now. Nobody else will get murdered, which is all I really care about. Eventually, it will be forgotten about.”

This answer doesn’t seem good enough for me. What about remorse for the families of the victims? I almost ask this, but instead drop the subject. The last thing I need is for Deputy Vogul to turn on me. She has my life in her hands.

“Do you have any other questions, Andrew?”

“Uhh, I can’t think of any. Well, I guess where do we go from here?”

“Oh, right. So, now I’m going to take you to the hospital. I’m sure Abby will love for you to pay her a visit. I wouldn’t mind seeing her and asking a few questions, but I can do that later. For now, what we’re going to say is I stopped by your house because I had a few more questions. I’ll just use some of the answers you gave me during our last meeting. Then, you told me you wanted to see Abby. And, since we are here to serve and protect, I gave you a ride to the hospital. How does that sound Andrew, pretty simple story?”

“Yep, thank you so much Deputy Vogul. I really can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.”

“No problem. I’m really not a dirty cop or anything. I know it must seem like it. The same way you’re not a bad person. Sometimes our actions don’t align with our true selves. I’ve always thought that.”

I’m not sure I agree with Deputy Vogul but I nod my head and smile. I do think Deputy Vogul is a dirty cop. There are so many lies, who knows what else she’s covered up. If she’s a dirty cop, though, I guess that makes me a murderer. For now, I’ll just temporarily agree with Deputy Vogul’s statement. I’m still a good guy.

When Deputy Vogul and I make it to the hospital, I ask her if there’s anything else I need to do.

“Nope, Andrew. I’ll take care of everything. You don’t have anything to worry about.” I love hearing her say that. We wave goodbye and she drives off. I think about how extremely grateful I am that she entered my life.

When I enter the hospital, there’s a bit of a panicked reaction when they realize who I am. Questions stir up about how I got here, but when I tell them Deputy Vogul’s story they buy into it right away and no more questions are asked.

I’m told Abby is starting to get better. It’s something I’ve known all along but I act surprised. I’m allowed to go in and see her, and I tell her parents that if it’s all right with them I’d like to go in alone. Before I do that something occurs to me.

“Shit! I forgot to call my parents.” I look down at my phone, which has three missed calls. I’m sure my mother is upset, and when I call she seems to be in a state of panic.

“We were this close to calling the police, Andrew. This close!”

I apologize, and tell her my story. Well, not the real story. I tell her I forgot to call, and then Deputy Vogul came over, so I was preoccupied. When she hears I’m OK and at the hospital, she eases up. She’ll forgive me. It’s not the first or the last time I’ll forget to call her. If she still loves me after all these years, this little mishap isn’t going to push her over the edge.

When I enter Abby’s room, she’s lying on her back with her eyes open.

“Hey sweetie, how are you doing?”

“Hey Andrew, it’s great to see you. Did you do it? Are we going to be safe now?”

“I did it. He was parked right outside the house,” I whisper. “I shot him dead. Then, the craziest thing happened. Not too long afterword, a police car came up. I started to freak out but fortunately it was Deputy Vogul, the woman who interrogated me when I was still here at the hospital. I couldn’t believe it but she helped me hide the body somewhere deep in the reservoir.”

She looks at me in shock, which I can totally understand. If I were in Abby’s shoes I wouldn’t believe a word I’m saying. “Oh my God, Andrew. Are you going to get caught?”

“I don’t think so. Well, Deputy Vogul doesn’t seem to think so. I think she has things under control.”

With those words, Abby lets off a big sigh of relief.

“Oh, Andrew, I missed you. This has been horrible. It was my ex-boyfriend who kidnapped me… right in the middle of my office. He threw me in the car and drugged me. I’ve never been so terrified!”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m sure it was terrible, but you’re safe now. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.” I hold her and kiss her cheek, then wipe a tear from her eye. “Everything is going to be all right.”

When she looks up at me, I think she believes me. The truth is, I’m not even sure I believe myself. So many things could go wrong. If any of the neighbors saw what I did outside the house, I will have some serious explaining to do.

“So what happens now, sweetie? Have the doctors come in?” I ask.

“Yeah, when I woke up this morning they came in. They said it was a miracle how good I am today, that they’ve never seen anything like it. They want to keep me here for a few days, obviously, but they said it’s possible I could be home by the end of the week if everything goes smoothly.”

“That’s great, sweetie! Great news to hear.”

Chapter 25

The next few days do, indeed, go well. Abby’s progress stuns her doctors. I’ve never seen her parents so overjoyed. By Saturday, she’s ready to come home.

For me, the days haven’t been as great. Sure, I’m ecstatic Abby will be home soon. On the inside, though, I’m in a state of panic. I have a terrible feeling a police officer is going to come in and take me away. Evidence piled so high against me even Deputy Vogul can’t cover it up. There are too many things that could go wrong. While I’ve been here, I’ve checked the local papers for any reports of fires at the reservoir. I haven’t found any, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t. I have no idea what Deputy Vogul did with the gun. Is it really taken care of?

My thoughts turn to my neighbors. I presume if they did see me do it, they haven’t notified the authorities yet. If so, I would be in a jail cell by now. If they did see me, they could blackmail me at a moment’s notice. I make a mental note to be extra nice the next time I see them.

If nobody did see anything, well, that’s just perfect. It was past nine in the morning on a weekday, so it’s quite possible. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced everything is going to be fine. I only wish I could speak to Deputy Vogul one last time, just to get a quick update and hear everything is taken care of. I don’t plan on seeking her out for fear of causing suspicion. If she needs to talk she’ll come to me.

When I bring Abby home, she’s tired but we still celebrate. Both of our parents are here for company. It’s a bit awkward having them together as they have nothing in common, but we are all in good moods so the atmosphere is terrific. We have a few drinks, watch some football, and get some much-needed relaxation.

By evening, our parents leave and it’s finally just Abby and me home again. It seems like it’s been forever since it was just the two of us here. This past week, I know, will change us forever.

Sunday is our first day back to normal. I’ve called my bosses and told them I’ll be back to work on Monday. Personally, I don’t want to go because I never want to leave Abby again. Also, I’m dreading seeing how people act around me. I’m sure I’ve been the talk of the office. I’ll get funny looks and people coming up to ask questions (questions I don’t feel like answering yet). Abby thinks it’s best for my sanity if I get back to work, and she’s probably right.

As for her, the doctor said she’s ready to go back whenever she wants. I told her to take a couple weeks off and her boss said to take a whole month off. Abby is stubborn, though, and enjoys being out of the house. I had to convince her not to go back tomorrow. We compromised on a week.

Since my dad already went to the grocery, there’s nowhere we need to go today. It’s a very lazy Sunday watching television. I carry my cell phone in my pocket, checking it constantly to see if I missed a call or text from Deputy Vogul. My mind would be so much more at ease if she called. The call never comes.

When I wake up on Monday morning, I turn over to look at the clock. “Shit!” The power must be out. Did I sleep in on my first day back to work? I hope my bosses understand. After all, I have had a rough couple of weeks. When I turn over, Abby isn’t there. Oh no, this isn’t happening again, is it? Am I in another coma? Is this just a dream? I rush out of bed.

“Abby,” I shout. No answer. My heart starts to beat out of my chest. “Abby,” I shout again, this time even louder.

“Over here.” It’s Abby’s voice. I walk into the kitchen and see her. Relief pours over me.

“Is there something wrong with the power?” I ask.

Abby walks over to the light switch and flicks it on. To my surprise, the light comes on. “Nope, seems fine. Can I get you anything, Andrew? How ’bout some orange juice?”

“Sure, that sounds great.” She gets some OJ out of the fridge and pours both of us a glass. When she hands it to me, she says, “Drink up, you have a big day today! Can I make you some breakfast?”

“I’m fine, thanks. I’ll just have cereal,” I say as I gulp down my drink.

“It’s going to be alright, Andrew. I’m sure it’s not going to be as bad as it seems. Wait right here; I have a little surprise for you.”

I smile, a surprise? I have no clue what it might be and I’m very interested to find out. When she comes back, though, my giddy excitement turns to shock. She moves towards me, a gun in her hand pointed directly at me.

“Why don’t you have a seat, Andrew.”

I freeze up, not having a clue what’s going on. “Abby, what are you doing? Where did you get that gun?”

“Have a seat. I want to have a little chat.”

I do as I’m told, sitting down at the kitchen table. Abby slowly starts walking toward me, keeping a safe distance away. The gun is still pointed at me.

“You and I need to get our stories straight. I want to know what you think happened the day I was kidnapped.”

I can’t believe this is happening. What has happened to my Abby? Where did she get a gun? I didn’t even know she knew how to shoot.

“Wha..what do you want to know? Abby, why do you have a gun?”

“Never mind that!” she interrupts. For the first time, I’m truly scared of her. She doesn’t look herself, like she’s another person. “What happened when you got to the reservoir?”

“I…uhh… when I got there, I saw there was the huge hole. So I walked up to it and saw you were down there. Then, I saw you point up. Someone came up behind me. I’m pretty sure it was Zach. I thought I grabbed him and we fell down the hole together. Apparently, though, that’s not what happened. Deputy Vogul showed me the photos. I guess I killed Zack… and pretty gruesomely. I don’t even remember doing it.”

Abby looks down like she’s trying to put puzzle pieces together. For a brief moment, I feel at ease, like we’re on the same team trying to un-code a mystery. Then she does something I don’t expect. She starts bursting out laughing. Not the kind of laugh after you’ve heard a funny joke, but the fake kind of laugh that has a hint of evil behind it.

“You’re so stupid, Andrew. You’re not a hero. Did you really think you came and saved the day?”

“I…umm… I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”

“Well, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you exactly what’s going on. You see Andrew, I’m not who you think I am. I’m not little goodie good Miss Priss wife. I have a dark side. I kill people.”

I look at her, not knowing what to say or whether she’s telling me the truth. The gun pointed at me must mean she’s serious, though. “What do you mean you kill people?” I say.

“You know the man in the black car, the man you killed? He’s my accomplice, or I guess I should say was. You see, I met him before you and I were together. He showed me how to kill, how to research people, how to attack when they’re at their weakest moment. We made an excellent team, killing dozens of people over the years, hiding each and every body at my place at the reservoir. You wouldn’t notice, because you’re so stupid and unobservant, but there are bodies buried all around that area. It was such a rush bringing you there when you had no clue what was nearby. It ended up coming in handy, too.

“You’re probably wondering about Zach Jones and where he fits into all of this. That little twerp piece of shit took me off guard, I’ll admit. He’s always been a little stalker, and I guess it turns out he’s been following me around. He found my place at the reservoir and said he was going to bury me along with all the other bodies I left there. He came to my office. Not real subtle, but I give it to him he always had courage. He threw me in his car and put something over my mouth that made me pass out. Right before he threw me down into that hole, my eyes opened and I could see where I was. That’s why I called you. You’re the only one who knows how to get to my place at the reservoir — well, except for the man in the black car. I was too out of it to call him, though, and I wasn’t sure I could trust him. Turns out I was right about that.

“So you get there and see me in the hole. It was Zach who came up behind you. I wonder what he was planning on doing with you. He probably would have dumped you in the hole with me. You said you wanted to be cremated, sweetie. We were almost buried together.”

Abby paces back and forth, making sure to keep me in the corner of her eye while she continues. “It’s only a guess, but I’m ninety-nine percent certain what happened next. The black car man must have found out I was kidnapped and came out to the reservoir to look for me. He must have had a little fight with Zach — no surprise who came out ahead there.” Abby starts laughing, “He has quite the temper sometimes,” she says affectionately.

“If he were here now he’d probably thank you, Andrew, for bringing that ax. I heard Zach was in pieces! That’s never really been my style; I try to be as clean as possible with my kills. The black car man likes to use his imagination. He thinks it’s important to let the police know the murders are his, so he leaves a patch of black dog hair by the bodies. He told me some bullshit that it symbolizes the victim was no better than a mutt. Personally, I thought it was stupid… and sloppy. I like to be as inconspicuous as possible, but I didn’t dare tell him otherwise. He seemed kinda crazy, ya know?

“What really bothers me…” Abby stops, an angered expression on her face. “Is why that piece of shit turned on me. What did I ever do to him?” She looks over at me as if I’m supposed to answer her, but I only give her an empty stare.

“You see, what happened sweetie is the black car man tore little Zach Jones to pieces. Then he did some artistic work to make it look like you did it. I hope you didn’t actually think you did the axing. You know you couldn’t hurt a fly. My guess is the black car man must have tipped the police off to where we were, and he was just going to leave me there to die. Why would he do that? I thought we had fun together.” Now Abby’s not even talking to me. She’s talking to herself like she’s trying to work out a problem. “I just don’t understand it. What did I do to him?”

She looks back over to me and smiles, “Gee, where are my manners? This is probably a lot to take in, I know. I’m sure you have lots of questions, but let me finish the little story first. You see, when the police got there I was pretty heavily sedated and could barely remember anything. You, on the other hand, must have been really messed up. My guess is the black car man must have given you some good stuff. You were in a coma for a week. That’s crazy!” She laughs again, each time it gets scarier.

“If you haven’t figured it out yet, Andrew, I’m a pretty good actress when I need to be. Lying in that hospital bed, I was scared to death. I didn’t know what the black car man had in store for me, but I was sure it wasn’t good. Why didn’t he just kill me? That’s something else I don’t understand. Why tip the police off knowing I might make it out alive? Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. I knew as long as I was in the hospital I was safe. Police were everywhere and the black car man is crazy but not stupid. I had to fake being worse than I really was. I figured it would be a few days before you would make it out all right, but I didn’t expect it to be a week! When you did recover and see me, well, you know what happened then. I told you to leave and kill the black car man. I wasn’t quite sure what he would do to me when I got out, but I knew damn sure what he would try to do to you. As pathetic as you are, Andrew, I figured I’d give you a chance and see how you would do. Turns out you were splendid! I knew there was a reason I married you. I can’t imagine the look on his face when you pulled that gun on him and blasted him. He obviously underestimated you like I did.

“What I don’t like, though, is this Deputy Vogul woman. She’s quite a dirty cop, making you do all the risky work while she cleans up the tracks at the end. I would consider finding a different killing partner, Andrew. She’s not pulling her weight. You and I would make a pretty good team; I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeve.”

I don’t hesitate with what I say next. “I’m not a murderer. You’re an insane lunatic!”

“Oh sweetie, that hurts my feelings. You know me. I’m not a bad person. I take care of you, don’t I? I clean the house, cook you dinner, and make love whenever you want. Yes, I’ll admit I have a very strange hobby, but who doesn’t? You’ve been happy with our marriage, haven’t you? All I have to do is slip a little something in your drink before bed on the nights I go out. You get a full night’s rest and I get to have a little fun. It’s a win-win for both of us,” she smiles.

“If you’re interested to know, we liked to do our killings on the weekends so I could sleep in the next day. To be honest, I don’t really know much about the black car man. We had this hobby and we were only together when there was business. We never dealt with personal matters. If you’re concerned, I never slept with him or anything. I’ve always been very faithful to you.” She laughs again, “I’ve just told you I’m a serial killer, I’m sure the least of your concerns is whether I’ve been cheating on you.

“I know it sounds bad but it’s really not that big of a deal. We didn’t just kill anyone, Andrew; everything was thoroughly researched. Most of the people we killed did something bad at one point in time — rapes, cheating, stealing… you know how much I despise thieves. I also convinced the black car man to help me go after some of those hoodlums we ran into last year. You remember them right?” She smiles, “you should have seen the look on their faces!

“Of course, during all that there were one or two innocent ones, and I do feel kinda bad about that. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time, though, and you gotta do what you gotta do.

“Which leads me to you, Andrew. What am I going to do with you?” She points the gun back at me. “You’re not going to tell Deputy Vogul or anyone else my little secret, are you?”

Inside I’m thinking of course I’m going to tell her; you’re a psychopath! I know I’d be a dead man if I said that, though. “No, of course not. I love you Abby.” I say as convincingly as I can.

“Oh, how sweet. I love you, too. I really do, Andrew. I’m so happy I married you. You’ve always been wonderful to me, but you’re a pretty shitty liar.”

At this point, I know I’m a dead man. That’s why I’m so happy when I see Deputy Vogul burst into the room.

“Hold it right there!” Deputy Vogul says, her gun aimed at Abby.

Abby gives off a smile, a look that’s really starting to irritate me. “Well, well. Deputy Vogul, I presume? It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Deputy Vogul doesn’t say anything. How long has she been here? Before anything else is said, I notice I don’t feel right. I’m very dizzy.

“Abby, what’s happening to me?” I say.

“Oh yes, I almost forgot. Did you enjoy your orange juice?”

I look down at my empty glass, Abby’s full glass of orange juice sitting next to it. She drugged me. That little bitch drugged me. The room keeps spinning. My God, this isn’t good.

“I knew I’d catch you one day,” Deputy Vogul says. “Ten years of searching, but here we are finally face to face.”

“Please!” Abby says smugly. “You’ve never come close to catching us. The only reason you’re here this time is because the black car man and I seemed to have gone our separate ways.”

I try keeping my eyes open. I want to hear what’s said next. The drink Abby made me has some powerful stuff in it, though.

“Oh, enough of this talk,” Deputy Vogul says. “I don’t care what you have to say. I’ve waited ten years and I’m not waiting any longer.”

Then, in my last moments of consciousness, Abby turns toward Deputy Vogul and points her gun at her. I hear a gun blast, and then everything goes dark.

Epilogue

When I wake up I see trees. I’m lying on the cool ground unsure of where I am. I hear the sound of a shovel sliding into dirt. Someone’s digging a hole. The sounds stop and I hear panting. Whoever is doing this is trying to catch their breath. When they sigh, I can tell it’s a female voice. Who is it, and how did I get here? I try to remember.

I know I woke up, and then went to the kitchen where Abby was. I remember her pulling the gun on me and telling her deepest, dark secrets. What happened after that, though? I’m pretty sure Abby put something in my orange juice. That must be why I don’t remember how I got here. Is this really happening? Am I her next victim?

Right when I gather enough energy to roll over and look around, I see Deputy Vogul standing up in front of me.

“Well hey there, Andrew. How are you feeling?” she asks.

“I uhh… not good. I think Abby drugged me.”

She laughs, “Yeah, I think she did too. Not sure what she gave you, but I guess it wasn’t lethal.”

I give off a half-smirk, and then ask, “Where is she? What happened to her?”

Deputy Vogul pauses, thinking how best to spill the news. Evidently she decides on the blunt truth, “She’s dead. I’m sorry. I had no other choice. She was about to shoot me, so I pulled the trigger. This must be very hard to hear, Andrew. I heard your conversation. Believe me, I was as shocked as you were. I knew something was wrong with that girl, though, when she told you to kill the man in the black car.”

We both remain quiet, letting what happened sink in. I can’t believe my Abby, my sweet and wonderful Abby, is a serial killer. How could she be like this for so long without me noticing? To cover up something like this for a decade you would have to be insane — and a damn good liar.

I start to regain some consciousness, enough for me to look at where we are. The place looks eerily familiar, like I’ve been here recently. When I sit up, I see the hole Deputy Vogul’s been digging. When I look further I see what looks to be the remains of the black car. Now I know exactly where we are, Deputy Vogul’s place in the reservoir!

“Hey, what’s going on? Why are you digging that hole?” I ask, terrified knowing what the answer may be.

“Andrew, you seem like a smart guy. Do I really have to answer that?”

I look around, hoping to see Abby’s body but I don’t.

Deputy Vogul continues, “It’s not for Abby. It’s for you.”

She reaches from her side and pulls out a gun, aiming it right at me.

“Deputy Vogul, what are you doing? I thought you were on my side!”

“I was. I really was, Andrew. Things change, though. Circumstances come up and you have to play the cards you’re dealt.” She walks over to me and sits up against a nearby tree, making sure to keep a safe distance away. “When I shot Abby, I would have been more than happy to say you did it, give you the heroic story you deserve. Problem is, Abby drugged you and I couldn’t think of a story where that doesn’t fall back on me. The best I could come up with involved Abby drugging you then, in your last desperate attempts to survive, you shot her. I’ve been in the police force for a long time to know this story is too risky, though. No signs of a struggle, the entry of the bullet — all of that they’ll be able to figure out when they look at her body on your kitchen table. Also, quite frankly, for you to find out you’re drugged and shoot her in that short a time invokes skepticism. It all leads dangerously close to my involvement.

“Compare it with this next story, the one the police report is going to say tomorrow. I used your gun to kill Abby, so whenever they find her on your kitchen table the reports will come back making you a very strong suspect — even more so when you’ve mysteriously gone missing. This is where the beauty of the story comes in; are you ready for this?” She gives off a short laugh then continues. “I’ll volunteer for the case to go looking for you, which I’ll get because I’m closely tied with the case already. I’ll still have the black car man case but it will be a lower priority, even lower after a couple years when there aren’t any more murder victims. During that time, I’ll be searching day and night for you. Making up a few leads here and there as I go along. Andrew, you’ve bought me another five years of detective work trying to find you. Somewhere along the way I might say you’ve gone to California. I’ve always wanted to go there. Maybe Hawaii or overseas to Paris, too.” she snorts with laughter. “It all works out so perfectly!”

I don’t know what to say. I’m almost speechless. “That story’s not going to work,” I belt out.

Deputy Vogul pauses then asks, “Oh really? Why not?”

I rack my brain, trying to think of a loophole in her plan. What can I say now that doesn’t involve my impending death? I know enough psychology to know I need to make up a story that works out well for both of us. With the gun pointed at me I need to say something now, “Why can’t you just say I killed her? I found out she was a murderer, so I shot her. We can say I sat around the house for however long I’ve been unconscious then I’ll call the police and confess to the crime.”

Deputy Vogul shakes her head, “Doesn’t work, Andrew. Before you get locked up they’ll run some tests on you and see you were drugged and that you’re lying out of your ass. That’s all assuming you keep your mouth shut about me, which I highly doubt. Andrew, there may be a good story in there we could have used to keep you alive, but all of that’s too late now. No matter what story we come up with, I can’t trust you anymore. You’re not a good liar and during the interrogations you’ll fess up about me.” Deputy Vogul gets up, pointing the gun back at me. “I’m sorry for doing this, Andrew.”

Right before she’s about to pull the trigger, the light bulb goes off. “Wait, why can’t you just tell the truth? Abby drugged me and you came in to save the day. You’re a hero; I stay alive. We all win.”

She smiles, “You know, it took me awhile to run that scenario through my mind. It was the last thing I could think of too. With all these lies I’ve been telling over the years, the truth can sometimes be the last thing I think of. That story almost works, except why would I use your gun? I would have told the truth if the bullet could be traced to my pistol but any scenario where I get your gun and use it is too far-fetched. Again, they’re going to see there wasn’t a struggle, start asking me questions, and there’s nothing I can say that doesn’t make me look like a dirty cop.”

This time there’s no laughter. Deputy Vogul sheds a tear. “I hate this, Andrew. I really do. It should be me that has to go down, not you. You seem like a good person, but I have to look after myself and there’s no way I can do that while you’re still alive.”

Deputy Vogul takes a couple steps toward me, the gun aimed right at my face. “This story has to end with your disappearance.” Then she pulls the trigger and I see no more.

The End.

But wait, there’s more…

Afterwards

Wow, thanks so much for reading! Did you enjoy it? I hope so. Whether you did or not, I’d love to hear from you. Visit http://www.ryanwiley.com/contact to send me an email and tell me what you thought. I PROMISE I’ll read it and respond back. Seriously, try it. I dare you.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2013 by Ryan Wiley

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First Printing, 2013

Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Ryan Wiley

Visit my website at www.RyanWiley.com

Content

Ryan Wiley
DISAPPEARANCE

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Epilogue

Afterwards

Copyright