When she awoke the next morning Katie new she could not wait around for three days in a car with no gas. Something was bound to go wrong. She lay in the darkness of the hot trunk, thinking. The next town was miles away, she probably wouldn't get to it before the sun set. Which was almost too dangerous to risk. But she needed gas. She thought of the amount of food and water she had left, as well as medical supplies; just a first aid kit half empty under the passenger seat.
Do it.
Katie recoiled as if stung. The voice had come from inside the trunk, from right beside her. She realized she'd been clutching her gun with a vise-like grip. But where did the voice come from? It was a whisper, but clear. It scared her.
With a sickly sort of groan she pushed the back seat down. A few moments later she was outside of the Probe, looking around nervously. Katie rubbed her arms, merely for reassurance in the heat of Georgia's late summer. The road was still empty, so she allowed herself to stretch and put the voice out of her mind. When she finished working the stiffness out of her limbs, her watch read three-thirty. Katie got back into the car and pulled out a book. It was some stupid teen drama; but for some reason she couldn't stop reading it. She wished many times that she had brought more books; or could find some worth reading, but unfortunately she had little time for that. Katie put the book down at a quarter to seven; the sun was setting so she wouldn't have any light. After crawling back into her trunk space she let her mind wander; the thoughts were pleasant enough; memories of days before the world went to hell. She fell asleep to the image of her dog Jake, when he was a puppy. Katie had come home to her apartment to discover the mutt had managed to get the door to the fridge open, and was looking awfully guilty sitting in the pile of lettuce and other goods. If someone had been there with her while she slept, they would have seen the tears rolling silently down her face.
Do it.
She awoke with a jolt. It was early, she knew. Too early. Checking her watch as she lay in the trunk she saw it was six in the morning. Katie kept her eyes shut, listening to the world outside the car. She heard nothing; no movement, no voices. No groans. Once again, the voice seemed too real, too close. Feeling around, she found the gun next to her; the barrel pointed straight at her face. Katie took a deep breath, suddenly very awake. Turning the gun away from her, she pushed open the back seat and stretched out full length. Katie stayed that way for a while, the words playing over in her head like a broken record.
Do it.
Katie got up and ate a meager breakfast, then went to the side of the road to relieve herself. Walking back to the car, she began to stretch her stiff limbs. Katie squinted down the road, the sun's morning rays creeping into her vision. Then she froze as if caught in the headlights of a truck. Coming down the road was a line of vehicles. She swallowed the fear rising in her throat and hurried to the car. She quickly locked the doors and clambered into the trunk. After pulling shut the back seat she took a moment to breathe and pull her frantic thoughts together.
"It's okay Katie. They'll just drive right past. And if they don't…" She gripped the Colt tighter in her hand. The half-empty chamber flashed in her mind. She took another breath.
It wasn't long before she heard the convoy pull up alongside her. It seemed like an eternity as she listened to car doors open and shut. She listened carefully to the southern voices.
"Just one car?" said a woman's voice.
"That book's still open. They were here recently." said another. This voice sounded angry, harsh.
"They must've ran out of gas, decided to walk." This man seemed calm, mature. "Let's check for supplies."
Katie flinched as someone tried the door.
"It's locked."
"Maybe they planned on coming back." Suggested another female. The harsh one snorted.
"Maybe it's a set-up."
Katie heard the shatter of glass the same time she felt the car rock. The doors were unlocked and opened, and she inched to face the trunk door. The colt shook in her hands. The trunk clicked, and Katie screamed as it was pulled open, holding the pistol in front of her.