literature

morning drive

Deviation Actions

seapuppy's avatar
By
seapuppy
Published:
255 Views

Literature Text

Fifty-five, sixty, sixty-five miles an hour.  The speedometer kept rising.  Seventy-five, eighty-five.  What else was there to do on a straight desert highway?  One-hundred. A vehicle ahead started to appear through the horizon.  One-hundred-ten.  He blew by it in a flash.  It was a stopped car on the side of the road.  A glance in the mirror informed him their hood was raised.  Car Trouble?  Maybe.  Could also just be a trap for good samaritans.  He peeked inside the glove box.  The early desert sun gleamed off the gun metal blue finish.  One-hundred, ninety, seventy-five, fifty, thirty-five, twenty.  His car slide over onto the shoulder.  Ten, five, zero.  The driver grabbed the pistol, checked it was loaded, safety on, and placed it in the shoulder holster.  A look into the mirror, and then he was off; heading back.

the man crept onto the shoulder opposite the distressed vehicle.  A mustang, especially the classic years, never belong on the side of any road, he thought.  Under the hood was a woman.  Figures, he thinks again.  His window rolls down, and hot air rushes in.  "Having trouble?" he shouts across the road.  A head pokes out.  She has a confused look mixed with frustration on her face.  She tries to  smile through it anyways.

"It would appear that way," her voice carried back with.  "Would you be able to help me?"  He didn't respond.  "I'm not very good with cars."  He studied her for a few more seconds.

"If this is some kind of trap, I'm giving you the only warning now.  I am armed and I never miss my shot."  The smile quickly changed to a frown.  Her head shook as she mouthed something.  A few seconds passed, he looked in his ditch, swung the car around behind her's, studied the ditch again, then shifted into park.  A truck and trailer rushed by before he stepped out.  When he started walking towards her, he adjusted his holster to make sure she saw it.  she stepped back over when he got closer, placing one hand on the hood.  He looked around.  what was it doing before you pulled over?"

"It seemed fine one minute, then the next it started slowing down."  He looked over the cars for any traffic.

"Are the keys in the ignition?"

"Should be.  That's where I left them," she said.  A giggle escaped her.  He walked around, climbed in, and turned the keys.  The dashboard lit up.  Not the battery or alternator.  His eyes floated over the gauges.  It didn't overheat.  The gs gauge caught his attention.  Empty.  His hand turned the keys back as she leaned against the window.

"You ran out of gas."  Shame washed across her face for a brief moment.  "Lock it up while I close the hood."  He stepped out to let her in.

"Are you still going to help me?"  He gently slammed the hood shut.

"If I wasn't going to, I'd already be gone."  With a bounce in his step, he walked around to the passenger side of his car and opened the door.  "After you."  She looked confused.

"How does that help me?"

"I don't have a gas can," he sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose," and I'm sure it's a safe bet you don't have one either."  She shifted her weight from one side to the other.  "You can always stay here while I go get some gas."  She glanced around quickly before hurrying over to the open door.  She tries holding her skirt down as she gets in.  The door slams shut, and he walks around to the other side.
It is what it is. Feel free to leave some critiquing on it if you want. I'm always open to some constructive criticism. I haven't written anything in a while, so be gentle.
© 2012 - 2024 seapuppy
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In