Of Cabin Nooks and Highway Blues
3
Arms stretched forward, with hands holding the wheel in a vice like grip, Eric attempted to catch his breath. Taking a deep breath and swallowing, he cast green eyes in the direction of the passenger seat.
“You all right, Ev?” he asked, with a voice stronger than he felt. She looked at him and nodded and he knew she was collecting herself. Knowing that his sister was all right, he turned to the back.
“You guys alright back there?” Cara and Dawn, who had chosen to sit in the far back so that Dawn wouldn’t have to speak to Ryan, let go of one another’s arms and sent him a shaky smile. They’d be ok. He looked over at Ryan, who was in the middle seats with Nara, and noted his closed eyes and paler than usual complexion. Casting a glance over where Nara sat, he waited for a response as well as casting a silent query about Ryan. She smiled a little and then cast a quick glance Ryan’s way before nodding, telling him that the man would be all right. He smiled back at her, before jumping at the knock on his window.
Turning back towards the front, he spotted a man looking in at him through the glass. Cool, evening air rushed in as he lowered the window.
“Ya guys alright?” the man was in his latter thirties. From the light in the car, Eric could see the scruff on his chin.
“You were in the road.” He said simply, with eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
“Sorry ‘bout that, was just looking for a ride. You’re the first car to come my way for a couple o’ hours.”
“Where you headed?” Ryan, who had decided to open his eyes again, had popped between the two front seats. Eric made a note to whack him in the head later.
“Upper East Coast. Any chance I could hitch a ride with ya guys?” Eric made a show of looking in the backseat.
“Sorry, man, we don’t have enough room.” He saw the man cast a momentary look towards the back as well.
“Ya sure?” Eric thought for a second.
“We’re not really going to the upper coast. We’ll be stopping near the PA New York border.” Eric really hoped everyone would stay silent and not correct the information.
“Alright then. If you’d be willin’ to give me a ride to just a gas station though, that’d be great.” A gas station wouldn’t hurt, there was one only a couple miles up; they’d passed a sign for it a ways back.
“Fine, guess we could.” He said slowly. Looking back at Ryan he said,
“I need you to get in the back…. No fighting.” Ryan rolled his eyes, but relocated himself to the far back. He understood what Eric was getting at. With him in the back, he’d have a better chance of keeping an eye on the girls, making sure the hitchhiker didn’t pull anything.
The man got in and after closing the door, Eric pressed down on the gas. It didn’t take long for him to sense the tension in the car, he had a feeling no one was happy with their new guest. So with eyes still on the road, he placed a hand on the radio to maneuver the dials. He played with it until he came to a song by Muse.
“So whatcha all doin’ up near the border?”
“Couple friends of ours have a house by the water, we’re staying with them.” Evelyn told him. Eric sent her an appreciative look over her smoothness; the look was quickly gone though when he heard Dawn speak up.
“We don’t know anyone up by the border of New York and PA.” It felt as if everything had gone silent and still.
A small squeak was heard from the back as Ryan lightly nudged her with his elbow
.
“She, uh, just doesn’t know ‘em well.” Nara tried. She wasn’t one for lying and she’d really been hoping to keep silent during the man’s stay in the car. The looks he continually sent her way were setting her on edge.
“Right.” The man said with a slight nod and a small smile, almost as if he were just humoring her lie.
“There’s a light up the way. I think we’re just about at the gas station.” Eric said from the front.
“Alright, I guess this is gonna be good-bye then.” The man said as Eric turned the car into the station’s parking lot. The lights were on in the little store and he could see what looked to be a teenage boy stationed behind the counter, looking at something.
“Guess it is.” Eric and Evelyn shared a quick look of gratitude over the fact.
“Ya sure you aren’t goin’ to the upper East Coast?” he asked after getting out of the car. He was leaning in the open window again.
“Sorry, man, no upper East Coast for us. You’re on your own.”
“If ya say so. Maybe I’ll see you all ‘round.” With a final slap to the window’s edge, he walked over to the station, leaving the group alone
.
“No more hitchhikers Eric Matthew.” Eric cringed at the use of his middle name.
“You couldn’t keep your big mouth shut for five minutes?” Ryan demanded of Dawn. Eric pulled back onto the road and suppressed a groan at the commencing of the Ryan/Dawn argue fest.
All they had to do now was get to Maine, hopefully all in one piece. And as long as nothing else came up, preferably car trouble or hitchhikers, they might just be all right.
No one noticed the bright red end of a burning cigarette as cold, steel eyes watched the van trail off into the night.
“See you soon.”
“You all right, Ev?” he asked, with a voice stronger than he felt. She looked at him and nodded and he knew she was collecting herself. Knowing that his sister was all right, he turned to the back.
“You guys alright back there?” Cara and Dawn, who had chosen to sit in the far back so that Dawn wouldn’t have to speak to Ryan, let go of one another’s arms and sent him a shaky smile. They’d be ok. He looked over at Ryan, who was in the middle seats with Nara, and noted his closed eyes and paler than usual complexion. Casting a glance over where Nara sat, he waited for a response as well as casting a silent query about Ryan. She smiled a little and then cast a quick glance Ryan’s way before nodding, telling him that the man would be all right. He smiled back at her, before jumping at the knock on his window.
Turning back towards the front, he spotted a man looking in at him through the glass. Cool, evening air rushed in as he lowered the window.
“Ya guys alright?” the man was in his latter thirties. From the light in the car, Eric could see the scruff on his chin.
“You were in the road.” He said simply, with eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
“Sorry ‘bout that, was just looking for a ride. You’re the first car to come my way for a couple o’ hours.”
“Where you headed?” Ryan, who had decided to open his eyes again, had popped between the two front seats. Eric made a note to whack him in the head later.
“Upper East Coast. Any chance I could hitch a ride with ya guys?” Eric made a show of looking in the backseat.
“Sorry, man, we don’t have enough room.” He saw the man cast a momentary look towards the back as well.
“Ya sure?” Eric thought for a second.
“We’re not really going to the upper coast. We’ll be stopping near the PA New York border.” Eric really hoped everyone would stay silent and not correct the information.
“Alright then. If you’d be willin’ to give me a ride to just a gas station though, that’d be great.” A gas station wouldn’t hurt, there was one only a couple miles up; they’d passed a sign for it a ways back.
“Fine, guess we could.” He said slowly. Looking back at Ryan he said,
“I need you to get in the back…. No fighting.” Ryan rolled his eyes, but relocated himself to the far back. He understood what Eric was getting at. With him in the back, he’d have a better chance of keeping an eye on the girls, making sure the hitchhiker didn’t pull anything.
The man got in and after closing the door, Eric pressed down on the gas. It didn’t take long for him to sense the tension in the car, he had a feeling no one was happy with their new guest. So with eyes still on the road, he placed a hand on the radio to maneuver the dials. He played with it until he came to a song by Muse.
“So whatcha all doin’ up near the border?”
“Couple friends of ours have a house by the water, we’re staying with them.” Evelyn told him. Eric sent her an appreciative look over her smoothness; the look was quickly gone though when he heard Dawn speak up.
“We don’t know anyone up by the border of New York and PA.” It felt as if everything had gone silent and still.
A small squeak was heard from the back as Ryan lightly nudged her with his elbow
.
“She, uh, just doesn’t know ‘em well.” Nara tried. She wasn’t one for lying and she’d really been hoping to keep silent during the man’s stay in the car. The looks he continually sent her way were setting her on edge.
“Right.” The man said with a slight nod and a small smile, almost as if he were just humoring her lie.
“There’s a light up the way. I think we’re just about at the gas station.” Eric said from the front.
“Alright, I guess this is gonna be good-bye then.” The man said as Eric turned the car into the station’s parking lot. The lights were on in the little store and he could see what looked to be a teenage boy stationed behind the counter, looking at something.
“Guess it is.” Eric and Evelyn shared a quick look of gratitude over the fact.
“Ya sure you aren’t goin’ to the upper East Coast?” he asked after getting out of the car. He was leaning in the open window again.
“Sorry, man, no upper East Coast for us. You’re on your own.”
“If ya say so. Maybe I’ll see you all ‘round.” With a final slap to the window’s edge, he walked over to the station, leaving the group alone
.
“No more hitchhikers Eric Matthew.” Eric cringed at the use of his middle name.
“You couldn’t keep your big mouth shut for five minutes?” Ryan demanded of Dawn. Eric pulled back onto the road and suppressed a groan at the commencing of the Ryan/Dawn argue fest.
All they had to do now was get to Maine, hopefully all in one piece. And as long as nothing else came up, preferably car trouble or hitchhikers, they might just be all right.
No one noticed the bright red end of a burning cigarette as cold, steel eyes watched the van trail off into the night.
“See you soon.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Joint story, let us know what you think. :D