Chapter 6 Deadly Detour
Still standing in the shade of the large elm tree Beth looked at Morgan curiously. It seemed that suddenly something had occurred to her besides the signs.
"Morgan, why are you so determined to find these people all of a sudden," Beth asked.
Morgan replied meekly.
"Well, do you remember the Clear Rivers case," Morgan asked.
"Yeah, she was the girl whose boyfriend saw the crash of that plane right," Beth replied.
"Flight 180."
"Yeah, so what about her?"
"There's a lot more to that case. All the survivors of the plane crash died of 'mysterious causes' later on. But these weren't mysterious causes," Morgan started.
"Wait, how do you know all of this," Beth asked.
"My mom has this magazine and there was a big article about her death. It seems that they deemed it mysterious causes but there was a decapitation, an explosion, a hanging, and sign crushed a man, a bus accident, and a brick fell through her boyfriend's head," Morgan said.
"This is a little morbid, what are you getting at," Beth questioned.
"Wait up, there's more. Well it seems before each of these deaths there was a vision or a sign. Something that could be interpreted to save them and some of them were saved but some. some of them weren't so fortunate," Morgan said.
"I still don't understand," Beth said.
"A few years later Clear had herself put in this institution. She took every precaution to stay away from death, no medication, no sharp things, everything rounded, there could be nothing in that room that could hurt her. I even read they didn't heat it because she was afraid of carbon monoxide. Well this girl walks in, this Kim girl and she had this vision of a car accident and prevented it, but her three friends died. And she saved all these people but then they start to get killed so she gets Clear to help her. Clear couldn't help her in time though as even though they thought they were safe they all died. A pipe through a girls head, a bisection, impaled, decapitated, exploded, crushed by a giant pane of glass, Kim and her boyfriend were the only 'survivors' but even they didn't make it too long. They were killed in a car accident," Morgan said.
"So what are you saying - they died so what," Beth said.
"We could be next, Kim and Clear believed in a design. Death's design. She believed that the signs are always there - but once you interpret them you can avoid what they lead to. It's just like what happened to us Beth. We saw the signs and we analyzed them and we found the design, but we found the loophole. Death is avoidable," Morgan replied.
"Wait, but didn't they all die," Beth asked.
"Yes, that's why we have to find the others. Together maybe we can see a sign that the others can't see," Morgan said.
"What about what Aisha said, about how we were given a second chance," Beth asked.
"Aisha would have been right but something happened back there. When we were passing the truck I shut down and while I was kind of out of myself I saw the future. I saw that we were going to die, and when I woke up we moved out of the way of the truck and all the stuff I saw in my vision were there. The smoking man, the bus. everything that I could remember. It was all set up to be that way and we could prevent it."
"But Death is smart. Death made the even inescapable, there was no way to avoid the cigarette drop, the fuel leak in our car, or anything. The people that were there though, the people could be moved and with them gone the event could be changed so that we would survive. The event was destined permanently, we were just accessories," Morgan said.
"So why can't we just go on with our lives," Beth asked.
"Because Death, Death will track us down. We have to be on the look out until we can find a permanent way to avoid death," Morgan said.
"Wait. what," Beth asked.
"Look, we avoided Death. Death, however, didn't avoid us. He's still after us - he wants to tie up any loose ends from anything he does. We weren't supposed to survive, we're supposed to be dead somewhere, but we did survive and now Death is coming back for the eight of us," Morgan said.
"Morgan, are you sure you're alright," Beth asked.
"Beth please believe me on this one. I saved your life before this is how you can repay me for it," Morgan said.
"Morgan.," Beth started.
"Beth, I don't know how I can prove it to you but neither of us want to be at home right now. It's an hour drive down there and if we find nothing to support my theory then we can go back. But if we do Beth. if we do we can save their lives again," Morgan said.
Beth looked to the ground sadly.
"Peter won't come back Beth. Waiting around to die isn't going to help you get peace with yourself," Morgan said.
Beth reached in her pockets.
"Please Beth," Morgan asked.
Beth pulled out a pair of keys for Pete's convertible.
"We don't have another way there," Beth said rasping.
Morgan pulled Beth close and hugged her. Then together they jogged back to Morgan's house, started the convertible and drove down the road.
* * * * * * * * * * *
A yellow light flashed in the distance. Workmen flagged at the girls in the convertible, the top was up to prevent the rain from coming into the car. Beth pulled over slowly as the man directed and rolled down her window. A tall stocky man in an orange poncho walked to the window.
"You're gonna have to go around," he said.
"Why," Beth asked.
"Didn't you hear about the gas station explosion, we're still trying to clear up the street," the man replied.
"Yeah, we heard. I guess we didn't know that they were still cleaning it. Is there a detour route that we can take," Morgan said from the passenger side.
"Yeah, if you take this left and go back in the opposite direction they opened up a lane through a construction area. It'll take you around this area and you'll get back on a few exit's past here," he replied.
"Thank you," Morgan said.
Beth rolled the window back up and the man waved them through. She pulled the car around the island and into the opposite lane, driving back up the highway. The rain battered down on the windshield, the wipers barely did justice to the amount of rain.
"It was a dark and stormy night," the radio said clicking on.
"Fuck shit," Beth said tapping the radio off.
Beth looked over at Morgan who was looking at the radio intently.
"Sometimes, the car has the tendency to turn on the radio. Pete used to say it was haunted," Beth said, a small grin growing across her face.
"I wasn't thinking about that," Morgan said.
"Oh," Beth said mournfully.
"No, I mean it's a sweet story and all. I was just thinking it could be a sign," Morgan said.
"Well I hate to break it to you but it is a dark and stormy night. I mean it's been raining for the past twenty minutes and it's about nine," Beth said.
"But you never know," Morgan said.
"Yeah," Beth said.
The flashing sign in front of them said detour. Beth flipped on the directional and pulled onto the mildly gravelled road that drove through the woods.
"I thought they said this was a construction area," Beth said.
Morgan looked out her window at the trees. They seemed to go on endlessly into the night.
"What are they constructing, outhouses," Beth joked.
Morgan laughed lightly. The humor helped to ease up the tense situation. Driving in a person's car who had been killed earlier that day, being driven by his girlfriend, his fiancee who had barely avoided death that day. The car seemed to be a hurse, all it carried was memories and.
"So remember friends don't let friends drive," a radio voice said.
"Shit," Beth said slamming the radio knob.
Morgan thought about the message. 'Friends don't let friends drive'.
The trees on the sides of the road disappeared as they pulled onto a bridge without railings. It travelled from one side over the body of water to the other.
Morgan looked at Beth urgently. 'Friends don't let friends drive', Beth had been so sad earlier and now she was so excited. She looked down at the water, no one was around, no boats, it was a storm and it was dark. No one would notice if they.
"Beth stop," Morgan yelled.
Beth accelerated. The car went from one side of the bridge to the other.
"Morgan I have to see him again. I have to and this is the only way," Beth yelled.
"No Beth don't. Please," Morgan yelled.
"It's too late," Beth said straightening out the wheel.
They were halfway across the bridge. Beth was dangerously close to the oncoming lane of the bridge. No cars were coming though, it would be the least of their worries.
"No," Morgan screamed.
In an instant Morgan was on the wheel, turning it back to the right lane. Beth screamed and slammed on the breaks, the car slid on the wet wood fast. The back end of the car spun around and went in front. Beth slammed against the window hard. The car squeeled a little more but it finally came to a stop.
Beth looked out her window, she was four inches away from the edge of the bridge. Tears rolled down her face as she reached for the door, but Morgan was there first holding the door shut.
"Morgan please, you have to let me out," Beth pleaded.
"It's too late for that Beth. You know it and I know it taking your life is not the option, you can't just let yourself die here Beth you can't kill yourself and kill me. I won't let you. You're my best friend Beth," Morgan said.
Beth looked at Morgan.
"Now please Beth, turn the car around," Morgan said.
Beth put her hands on the wheel. Morgan watched her every move as she slowly accelerated the car pulling it around to the right, and in a big u turn put them in the other lane.
"Now put it in the right lane Beth," Morgan said.
Beth continued going at the slow speed and moved the car into their lane.
"Now go to the police station." Morgan said.
Beth accelerated a little more. Wiping a tear from her eye they continued down the bridge. Morgan looked at her and smiled. The radio flashed on again.
"Like a bridge over troubled. waters.," the radio sang.
Still standing in the shade of the large elm tree Beth looked at Morgan curiously. It seemed that suddenly something had occurred to her besides the signs.
"Morgan, why are you so determined to find these people all of a sudden," Beth asked.
Morgan replied meekly.
"Well, do you remember the Clear Rivers case," Morgan asked.
"Yeah, she was the girl whose boyfriend saw the crash of that plane right," Beth replied.
"Flight 180."
"Yeah, so what about her?"
"There's a lot more to that case. All the survivors of the plane crash died of 'mysterious causes' later on. But these weren't mysterious causes," Morgan started.
"Wait, how do you know all of this," Beth asked.
"My mom has this magazine and there was a big article about her death. It seems that they deemed it mysterious causes but there was a decapitation, an explosion, a hanging, and sign crushed a man, a bus accident, and a brick fell through her boyfriend's head," Morgan said.
"This is a little morbid, what are you getting at," Beth questioned.
"Wait up, there's more. Well it seems before each of these deaths there was a vision or a sign. Something that could be interpreted to save them and some of them were saved but some. some of them weren't so fortunate," Morgan said.
"I still don't understand," Beth said.
"A few years later Clear had herself put in this institution. She took every precaution to stay away from death, no medication, no sharp things, everything rounded, there could be nothing in that room that could hurt her. I even read they didn't heat it because she was afraid of carbon monoxide. Well this girl walks in, this Kim girl and she had this vision of a car accident and prevented it, but her three friends died. And she saved all these people but then they start to get killed so she gets Clear to help her. Clear couldn't help her in time though as even though they thought they were safe they all died. A pipe through a girls head, a bisection, impaled, decapitated, exploded, crushed by a giant pane of glass, Kim and her boyfriend were the only 'survivors' but even they didn't make it too long. They were killed in a car accident," Morgan said.
"So what are you saying - they died so what," Beth said.
"We could be next, Kim and Clear believed in a design. Death's design. She believed that the signs are always there - but once you interpret them you can avoid what they lead to. It's just like what happened to us Beth. We saw the signs and we analyzed them and we found the design, but we found the loophole. Death is avoidable," Morgan replied.
"Wait, but didn't they all die," Beth asked.
"Yes, that's why we have to find the others. Together maybe we can see a sign that the others can't see," Morgan said.
"What about what Aisha said, about how we were given a second chance," Beth asked.
"Aisha would have been right but something happened back there. When we were passing the truck I shut down and while I was kind of out of myself I saw the future. I saw that we were going to die, and when I woke up we moved out of the way of the truck and all the stuff I saw in my vision were there. The smoking man, the bus. everything that I could remember. It was all set up to be that way and we could prevent it."
"But Death is smart. Death made the even inescapable, there was no way to avoid the cigarette drop, the fuel leak in our car, or anything. The people that were there though, the people could be moved and with them gone the event could be changed so that we would survive. The event was destined permanently, we were just accessories," Morgan said.
"So why can't we just go on with our lives," Beth asked.
"Because Death, Death will track us down. We have to be on the look out until we can find a permanent way to avoid death," Morgan said.
"Wait. what," Beth asked.
"Look, we avoided Death. Death, however, didn't avoid us. He's still after us - he wants to tie up any loose ends from anything he does. We weren't supposed to survive, we're supposed to be dead somewhere, but we did survive and now Death is coming back for the eight of us," Morgan said.
"Morgan, are you sure you're alright," Beth asked.
"Beth please believe me on this one. I saved your life before this is how you can repay me for it," Morgan said.
"Morgan.," Beth started.
"Beth, I don't know how I can prove it to you but neither of us want to be at home right now. It's an hour drive down there and if we find nothing to support my theory then we can go back. But if we do Beth. if we do we can save their lives again," Morgan said.
Beth looked to the ground sadly.
"Peter won't come back Beth. Waiting around to die isn't going to help you get peace with yourself," Morgan said.
Beth reached in her pockets.
"Please Beth," Morgan asked.
Beth pulled out a pair of keys for Pete's convertible.
"We don't have another way there," Beth said rasping.
Morgan pulled Beth close and hugged her. Then together they jogged back to Morgan's house, started the convertible and drove down the road.
* * * * * * * * * * *
A yellow light flashed in the distance. Workmen flagged at the girls in the convertible, the top was up to prevent the rain from coming into the car. Beth pulled over slowly as the man directed and rolled down her window. A tall stocky man in an orange poncho walked to the window.
"You're gonna have to go around," he said.
"Why," Beth asked.
"Didn't you hear about the gas station explosion, we're still trying to clear up the street," the man replied.
"Yeah, we heard. I guess we didn't know that they were still cleaning it. Is there a detour route that we can take," Morgan said from the passenger side.
"Yeah, if you take this left and go back in the opposite direction they opened up a lane through a construction area. It'll take you around this area and you'll get back on a few exit's past here," he replied.
"Thank you," Morgan said.
Beth rolled the window back up and the man waved them through. She pulled the car around the island and into the opposite lane, driving back up the highway. The rain battered down on the windshield, the wipers barely did justice to the amount of rain.
"It was a dark and stormy night," the radio said clicking on.
"Fuck shit," Beth said tapping the radio off.
Beth looked over at Morgan who was looking at the radio intently.
"Sometimes, the car has the tendency to turn on the radio. Pete used to say it was haunted," Beth said, a small grin growing across her face.
"I wasn't thinking about that," Morgan said.
"Oh," Beth said mournfully.
"No, I mean it's a sweet story and all. I was just thinking it could be a sign," Morgan said.
"Well I hate to break it to you but it is a dark and stormy night. I mean it's been raining for the past twenty minutes and it's about nine," Beth said.
"But you never know," Morgan said.
"Yeah," Beth said.
The flashing sign in front of them said detour. Beth flipped on the directional and pulled onto the mildly gravelled road that drove through the woods.
"I thought they said this was a construction area," Beth said.
Morgan looked out her window at the trees. They seemed to go on endlessly into the night.
"What are they constructing, outhouses," Beth joked.
Morgan laughed lightly. The humor helped to ease up the tense situation. Driving in a person's car who had been killed earlier that day, being driven by his girlfriend, his fiancee who had barely avoided death that day. The car seemed to be a hurse, all it carried was memories and.
"So remember friends don't let friends drive," a radio voice said.
"Shit," Beth said slamming the radio knob.
Morgan thought about the message. 'Friends don't let friends drive'.
The trees on the sides of the road disappeared as they pulled onto a bridge without railings. It travelled from one side over the body of water to the other.
Morgan looked at Beth urgently. 'Friends don't let friends drive', Beth had been so sad earlier and now she was so excited. She looked down at the water, no one was around, no boats, it was a storm and it was dark. No one would notice if they.
"Beth stop," Morgan yelled.
Beth accelerated. The car went from one side of the bridge to the other.
"Morgan I have to see him again. I have to and this is the only way," Beth yelled.
"No Beth don't. Please," Morgan yelled.
"It's too late," Beth said straightening out the wheel.
They were halfway across the bridge. Beth was dangerously close to the oncoming lane of the bridge. No cars were coming though, it would be the least of their worries.
"No," Morgan screamed.
In an instant Morgan was on the wheel, turning it back to the right lane. Beth screamed and slammed on the breaks, the car slid on the wet wood fast. The back end of the car spun around and went in front. Beth slammed against the window hard. The car squeeled a little more but it finally came to a stop.
Beth looked out her window, she was four inches away from the edge of the bridge. Tears rolled down her face as she reached for the door, but Morgan was there first holding the door shut.
"Morgan please, you have to let me out," Beth pleaded.
"It's too late for that Beth. You know it and I know it taking your life is not the option, you can't just let yourself die here Beth you can't kill yourself and kill me. I won't let you. You're my best friend Beth," Morgan said.
Beth looked at Morgan.
"Now please Beth, turn the car around," Morgan said.
Beth put her hands on the wheel. Morgan watched her every move as she slowly accelerated the car pulling it around to the right, and in a big u turn put them in the other lane.
"Now put it in the right lane Beth," Morgan said.
Beth continued going at the slow speed and moved the car into their lane.
"Now go to the police station." Morgan said.
Beth accelerated a little more. Wiping a tear from her eye they continued down the bridge. Morgan looked at her and smiled. The radio flashed on again.
"Like a bridge over troubled. waters.," the radio sang.