This story is based loosely on a terribly foggy drive many years ago. A friend and I were making our way home from visiting boyfriends at college. I've never seen fog so thick again. It was so bad I had my head out the window, watching the white line. Then out of nowhere, a car was stopped in front of us. And this was a two-lane major mountain highway, so stopping anywhere in the middle of the road was dangerous. But stop we did. And a woman jumped out of the other car, yelling and screaming at us. My friend was stunned. She didn't know what to do. The strange woman wanted to know why we were following her. I yelled - "We're not following you. (crazy bitch) Get back in your fucking car before you get us all killed!" And she did. My friend and I made it home safely, though I ended up with strep throat and learned that antibiotics and beer do not mix. Oh the things you learn in college... ;-)
I've changed this a bit since its first incarnation. I added a few lines and fluffed up a few others. Enjoy!
"This fog is something else." Danny had his head out the window, eyes searching through the mist for the white line.
They crept along the road. The ocean roared somewhere off the side of the highway, down over the cliff. Unseen in the perilous darkness. At least the rain had stopped. They didn't know which was worse. The relentless downpour or the thick fog.
"Yea, I can't see more than a few feet."
"That's being optimistic, babe. This is worse than pea soup."
"Why do they call it that?"
"What?"
"Pea soup." He sighed, leaning toward the windshield. As if that would help. "It's not even green."
"Are you making a joke?" Danny couldn't help but giggle.
Steve's voice was stern, almost offended. "So?"
"No, I like it." He smacked his friend lightly on the arm. "Means you're uncomfortable."
"You say that like it's a good thing."
"To see you unnerved? Yea, it's a good thing, babe."
"Seriously? Unnerved?"
"To be without nerve."
"I know what it means, Danny."
"It means you're human."
"Of course I'm human. What am I? An alien?"
"Whoa! Slow down. I think there's a car ahead."
"I'm not anywhere near it."
"Is it stopped?"
"Looks like it."
Danny's hand went to his gun. "You see anyone?"
"Hard to tell with the fog and the glare."
"Slow down."
"I am going slow. Just shut up. Relax. Maybe they broke down?"
"In the middle of the road?"
"It happens."
"Yea it happens. In horror movies. Look at this fog, babe."
"You scared?" A taunt.
"What kind of question is that? I'm hyper aware of my surroundings."
Steve laughed. "Hyper aware. That's a good one."
"Hey, wait. There's someone." Danny pointed to the passenger side of the car.
Steve stopped the car, checking the mirrors for anyone coming up behind them.
"I don't like this. Stopping here like this. Maybe we should pull over."
"Over? Where's over?" They could barely tell where they are on the road.
"Keep an eye out, then. Someone could rear-end us."
Danny looked warily around. They couldn't see a goddamn thing. He could feel the fog. It was inside him as he breathed it in. He felt insulated. Smothered from the inside out.
The human figure stayed at the rear of the vehicle, watching them.
Steve opened the door, one glance at Danny.
"Right behind you."
A nod and then he exited.
"Hey, do you need help?" Steve called out.
No response. Danny slowly exited the car.
"Hello, do you need help?" Steve tried again.
This time, the figure darted around the car, disappearing into the mist.
"Shit." Danny hissed. "Just like a horror-"
"Cut it out." Steve scolded softly, then turned his attention back to the car in front of them.
"Hello?" He called out louder this time. "Can you hear me? Do you need help? We're Five-0."
"Great, announce that we're cops."
Someone laughed.
"Okay now, that's creepy." Steve shivered.
"See, I told you. Horror movie."
Another laugh. This time closer.
Steve swept his light across the scene in front of him. It didn't help. With one hand shielding his eyes, he tried to survey the road.
"Sir...or ma'am?" Danny spoke this time. "Can you please get back in your vehicle?"
A rock hit him in the arm. "Jesus."
"Danny? You alright?"
He wanted to jump back into the Camaro and lock the doors. He rubbed the spot on his forearm. Didn't feel like it had broken the skin. Didn't mean it didn't sting like a mother fucker. But he was no wimp.
"Just a rock. I'm fine."
This time a larger rock hit the car.
"Awww...come on. Not the car." Danny called into the night.
"Would you rather they hit us?" Steve was calm, incredulous.
"Good point."
They stood at opposite corners of the car, hands on their weapons.
"Plan?"
"No."
"Do you think they circled around?"
"No, the rocks are still coming from in front of us."
Another rock. This time hitting Steve in the thigh. "Shit."
"Hurts, doesn't it?"
"Shut up, Danny."
More laughter.
The car in front of them suddenly went dark. The Camaro's lights suddenly hit only a wall of fog.
"Shit."
"Hello? Do you need help?" Steve's voice was a mix of urgency and annoyance.
"I think we can establish that they do in fact need help, Steven. They're throwing rocks at cops in the fog."
Danny couldn't see more than an outline of this friend, but he could feel the SEAL death stare loud and clear.
"Hello?" Louder and much more forceful. Steve clung to that last edge of sanity. "Please get in your car and drive away. We don't have to make an issue out of this."
Laughter and more rocks.
"Shit! Fuck!" They both cursed in unison as they ducked the onslaught.
Suddenly lights from behind them. A truck.
"Get in the car!" Steve ordered.
Each man dove for the Camaro. Steve threw the car into gear and whipped out around the darkened vehicle. Where he prayed it was anyway.
"We'll get in front of them and pull over."
"What about the truck barreling down the road? It's gonna hit the -"
"Better than us, right?"
Just as they pulled off the road, the truck flew past them.
Hitting nothing.
"What the fuck was that?" Danny swung around in his seat, trying to look behind them.
"Where'd the -" Steve was totally confused.
"Car go?" Danny shook his head, mouth now hanging open.
Both hands on the wheel, Steve took a few deep breaths.
"They drove away after they turned off their lights."
His voice was steady, monotone. Like he was trying to convince himself.
"We just didn't hear them."
Danny was borderline hysterical. "Someone was throwing rocks and laughing. After the car went dark."
"They had an accomplice on the side of the road."
"In the fog?"
"Kids. It was kids messing with us, Danny. That's all."
"Yea what ever."
Steve had his cell phone out, already dialing HPD. He requested a cruiser with a spotlight to their location.
Danny scanned the roadside, hand still on his weapon. He still couldn't see more than a few feet around the car. He felt trapped, just sitting there. His eyes darted from side to side. And he could feel it coming. He tried to slow his breathing. In through his nose, out his mouth. Willing his heart to slow down.
The fog seemed to close in from all sides. Threatening to crush them like sardines in a can.
Then a warm hand covered his own.
"Hey. You alright?"
Danny closed his eyes and exhaled loudly.
"Yea. I think so."
Steve squeezed his friend's hand, but didn't say anything, giving him space to vent.
"It's just..." His voice trailed off as he took another slow breath. "...that was weird."
"It was."
"You're agreeing with me?"
"So? It was. Weird."
Steve ran his hand up Danny's arm to his shoulder, giving Danny the worst case of goosebumps.
And a hard on to match. Double and triple weird.
Danny cleared his throat and Steve's hand disappeared. He didn't look his partner's direction, convinced he could see the swelling in his dress pants. He shifted in his seat to relieve some pressure.
"What was that?"
"It's all your imagination, Danny. They drove away. They didn't just disappear."
"You touched me."
"I touch you all the time." Steve's voice shifted to something new, playful with a hint of something else. "Want me to do it again?"
Danny shook it off. Was it just the weather? His foggy brain? An overactive imagination?
"I need a beer."
"When we're done here. Come over. To my place."
Somehow those words felt more like a challenge than an invitation.
"Don't you wanna hit the sack?"
"Maybe."
Now, there was a definite tilt to his words. And Steve gave him that cocky half grin that went straight to his -
God, he had to stop. What was wrong with him?
"I mean, don't you wanna get some sleep?" Danny coughed and pushed himself against the cool window. "I uh I need to pick up Grace in the morning."
"Uh huh."
Those eyes. Steve had him pinned like a butterfly.
"Stop it."
"What?" Steve leaned toward Danny.
"Turn it off, Smooth Dog."
"Who said I was turned on?"
Now Danny almost couldn't stand it. He pressed a hand against his pants, not caring if Steve noticed.
The road suddenly lit up like daylight.
The cavalry had arrived.
Just in time.
Danny hung back as Steve filled in the HPD about the incident. He caught fragments of conversation. This stretch of road was known for strange occurrences. Freak accidents. Ghosts.
Something had certainly happened to them. He turned his arm so he could look at the welt. Something had thrown a rock at him.
And then vanished.
There was no way a car could have sped off without them hearing it.
But then a more sensible part of his brain kicked in.
With Steve's voice, of course.
The ocean was loud here. They'd left the Camaro running so it's throaty growl could have masked another vehicle's engine.
Throaty growl? Did the voice in his head just say that?
He sighed and turned away from the crowd to adjust his pants again. Happily, things were going down, so he wasn't as uncomfortable or anxious.
He watched Steve, all confident and full of himself. Danny envied his partner's ego.
Right then, he was a little freaked out by their foggy encounter, more than a little confused by his reaction to Steve's touching him and impatient as hell to get outta there. He really needed that beer. Maybe something stronger.
"Hey, you ready to go?"
Steve sauntered up beside him.
He laughed at the word saunter in his head. Who used it? But that's what Steve did sometimes. He strolled. When he wasn't going all Rambo on somebody, he walked leisurely. Without a care in the world.
Or was all of this in Danny's adrenaline frazzled mind?
"Danny, hey." A hand on his shoulder.
"Yea, ready to go."
"Time for that beer, huh?"
Steve's eyes twinkled.
Or maybe it was just the water droplets reflecting off the spotlight. The air still had that magickal, scary sort of sparkle. Less horror movie and more fairy tale mist.
"Maybe an entire six pack."
"That could be arranged."
Danny groaned. "Gotta get up early to pick up Grace."
"I'll drive you."
"That's right. You're trained to need less sleep."
"Comes in handy sometimes."
They couldn't stop looking at one another.
"Commander McGarrett?"
A familiar voice interrupted them.
Pua.
"There's no sign of another vehicle, except for what appears to be a few drops of oil."
"See - I told you it was another car. They drove away." Steve grinned at Danny, smug as ever.
Hands at his hips, Officer Kai continued, not catching the subtle interaction between the two older men. "It is tough to tell at the moment how long those drops have been there. I could have a sample sent-"
"Nah, no need to waste tax payer dollars, Pua." Danny had to take control of this. "Write up a report. The suspects snuck away in the fog. It was too dangerous to pursue them. It's like pea soup out here."
"I've always wondered why they call it that." Steve scratched his chin.
Pua smiled. "Me too, Commander. It is rather perplexing-"
Steve cut him off. "Since it isn't green, I know. I've never understood that..."
Now Danny knew Steve was messing with him. Pua could wax poetic on any number of subjects. They could be there all night.
"I'm never getting that beer, am I, Steven?"
"Give it time, Daniel. Give it time."
To be continued...