Author's Note: I updated the pervious chapters so you might want to re-read them. Slowly, Kevin turned his head around to look over his shoulder to look at a ghostly face pressed up against the car window.
Kevin froze. His mind went blank. He felt his throat close and heart pounding in his ears.
The face went away and a light appeared though the window. The gears started turning again.
"Oh, shit!" Recognizing what the light meant, Kevin looked around franticly.
"Here, take this." He stripped off his outer black t-shirt and shoved it at her. Silently Gwen moved away from him and slipped the shirt on.
Scrapping, scuffling sounds came from the passenger-side door.
Kevin tensed. The door opened and the light streamed in.
"Hey ya'll alright in there?" asked a heavy southern accent.
"Uh– yes, sir, officer, sir. We… we were just –" Kevin began but stopped when he the southern accent give a deep chuckle.
"Relax, son. Ah ain't the law. Rain let up and ah was headin' on home when ah saw the power-line down an' the rail all bent on out of shape. Figure ah go see if anyone was hurt."
Gwen straightened herself out. "That was kind of you …"
"Larry, miss. Larry Hardwell."
On closer inspection, Larry was a thin, elderly man, with a slight hunch to his shoulders. He was dressed in a bright yellow poncho and was holding up a large, silver flashlight. Kevin vaguely wondered when the rain had stopped and how late it was.
"Ah can give you kids a ride if you like," Larry offered. "There's a rest stop not too far from here."
"Yeah, that'd be good," Kevin managed to articulate. He looked over at Gwen.
"We really should call someone and let them know we're alright," she said, her face lined with concern.
Kevin nodded and moved over so Gwen could climb over him and get out of the backseat. Then he followed her out blending slightly as to hide his condition.
"Ah'm jist up there." Larry said pointing to the road. A red pickup was parked near the curb of the road, the opposite side in the direction Kevin and Gwen had been driving. Gwen and Larry headed towards the truck.
"Hey, be with ya one second." Kevin called as he went around back and popped the truck. He took a few deep breathes and thought of the most unappealing things that he could which was basically at this point anything that wasn't Gwen and her sweet – arrgh! He paced back in forth, trying to get Gwen out of his head, or at least the perverted thoughts he had of her. By time he got out his green sports-jacket from the truck and locked up the car he'd worn away the a circle in the grass. He went to join Gwen and Larry.
Kevin noticed some flares set up several yards up and down the road.
"We just set them now." Gwen explained as he walked over.
"It was the miss's idea," Larry piped up. "She suggisted it."
Kevin nodded. They all crammed into the truck.
"Ya know ah almost didn't see ya there," Larry started conversationally. "When ah look down from the road all ah saw was the car. Good thang ah went to investagate, though."
Kevin snorted. Gwen glared at him and elbowed him into silence.
"You kids musta figured you'd be warmer togither 'n the back," the old man reasoned.
"Uh… right. Just trying to stay warm."
"Yes, we though we'd wait out the storm in the car," Gwen supplied quickly.
"Not a smart idea, miss. We got flashflood warnin's on the radio. That low ya'll could have been in serious danger 'n that low ground."
"Yes, well at least the storm's over now," said Gwen.
As if some mystical ill-willed force overheard her, the skies opened up again.
"My car." Kevin whimpered forlornly.