Marie slipped the key into the lock and turned it deftly, first slightly to the left and then to the right –the only way her car would bother to unlock itself anymore.
She was acutely aware of her surroundings as she tossed her overloaded work bag and purse into the vehicle before sliding in herself. Satisfied only when she heard the audible click of the door's manual lock she revved the engine and reversed.
Something was going to happen tonight. She could feel it and the thought that she didn't know what it was scared her more than she would willingly admit. Pulling across the roadway she headed towards the bridge tapping her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel and willing the radio to play something decent for a change.
"Highway or Backroads?"
It was a question she had asked herself countless times over the past two years, always going with her gut's answer…and never being wrong.
But tonight there was a decided lack of anything. It wasn't like when her sixth sense answered she got a buzzer zap or heard a chime but tonight her gut was decidedly silent.
"C'mon!"
Sighing in exasperation she quickly checked the rear-view mirror and headed into the left hand turn lane for I-4. If the night was going to be a weird one she might as well try to make it home as soon as possible.
~*~*~
"Dean, I don't know what to tell you….yeah I know what Bobby said alright but that bar, definitely a normal bar…yes Dean. Hell some chick was even talking about the automatic flushing toilets for Christ's sake…We'll just have to look somewhere else…No, come get me. Don't feel like calling a taxi."
Sam hung up the phone and shoved it, along with his hands, deep into his pockets. If Dean was going to be this pissy he sure hoped whatever case Florida held for them was cleared up, and fast.
"All because of some damn waitress in Tampa…"
~*~*~
Marie jumped a little as the radio started fading in and out, voices transposing themselves over another. Quickly pressing the button to shut it off she checked her cell phone
"Of course. No service."
Ahead of her a semi was broken down on the side of the road and the orb hovering just next to the driver's cab wasn't lost on the brunette.
"Crap, crap, crap."
She absently reached up with her right hand to finger the Triquetra pendant hanging around her neck
"Why'd I take the highway…damn...fucking I-4 Corridor…crap."
She closed her eyes and breathed a slight prayer before re-focusing on the roadway. She only had what, maybe four more miles to go?
The highway always seemed so long when the East Corridor was active.
A car to her left swerved suddenly into her lane. Foot on the brake and the other on the horn out of instinct she shouted
"What the FUCK!" the driver didn't even seem to notice as Marie slowly started to re-gain speed. Then, out of nowhere, the car swerved back into the left hand lane.
She felt a panicked kick in her gut as she realized she was going faster than the vehicle was now. She was starting to catch up to the side of it.
"Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit…"
Marie warily watched the car out of the corner of her eye and tried to keep tabs on the cars ahead of her, attempting to make sure none of them slowed down either.
It was moments like this, when her sixth sense went into overdrive that she wanted to just pull the car over to the side of the road and….and what?
Marie never got the chance to decide she would just like to hide as the silver lexus swung back into her lane, directly abreast of her.
Hitting the gas she swung her wheel to the right, tires thumping the warning she had crossed over the break down lane as she hit the horn again.
To her amazement all she got from the passenger was the finger.
Marie swore softly under her breath as she watched the orb that had been between the two vehicles float back out to the swamp. They had never targeted her before. Ever.
They just had though. And that scared her.
Tension building in her shoulders she tried to focus on all aspects of the roadway at once.
It was going to be a long few miles to that beautiful green exit sign.