The road seemed to stretch on forever. Only the first few feet could be seen clearly with the aid of Hannibal's headlights. He could also see a little into the woods on each side of the rural, dirt road. On a whim, the doctor rolled his window down slightly letting in the cool, autumn breeze. It enveloped him like a comforting blanket. He imagined himself at home drinking wine on his patio. The stars were brilliant once freed from the city lights. He contemplated on which book he would read.
It had been a particularly stressful day dealing with needy patients. One had been insufferably rude. When Hannibal indicated that her time was at an end, she began to scream. She shrieked about how she would call her husband, a senator and have Hannibal's license revoked. It took many deep breaths in order to let the woman walk out of the office alive. The thought of her soured his mood.
Something stirred ahead. Hannibal could only make out a thin shadow moving onto the road. Hannibal slowed his pace. The bright lights revealed a young man, possibly early twenties, in a t shirt and torn jeans. His hair was in a buzz cut and piercings lined his ears. His eyes stared ahead and a grin crossed his face. Blood covered his face and clothes. Hannibal took in a deep breath and considered his options. The stranger quickly approached the car. He knocked on the window till the doctor rolled it down.
"Are you hurt?"
"Let's skip the formalities and just give me the car." the youth demanded leaning into the car.
"If you need medical assistance, I can take you to the hospital." Hannibal attempted to reason with him.
The boy rolled his eyes and groaned. He then shoved a small handgun into Hannibal's cheek.
"If you give me the car now, I might let you live."
A twig snapped off in the distance. The man jumped. He spun around wildly then yanked the car door open. He finger was close to pulling the trigger so Hannibal relinquished his vehicle. The man sped off coating the doctor in dirt. Did everyone have bad manners today?
Something large shot through the woods. Hannibal noticed a massive canine silhouette taking off in the direction of the car. The doctor spun around and eased up the road until he was sure the creature was out of earshot, then he bolted.
Then he heard a sickening sound of twisting metal. Hannibal figured the man had crashed, served him right. The doctor contemplated on leaving the boy to die. Surely the large canine would find him. But he turned around. He sprinted down the road till he got to the turn that led towards a main road. His expensive car was wrapped around a tree. The driver's side door was open. He slowly walked up to the wreckage to asses the damage. There were tire marks leading to the tree. There was blood in the dirt, little droplets. But they didn't lead away from the wreckage, they went towards it. Using the one working headlight, Hannibal spotted a pair of legs, tanned and muscular. Following them he spotted a naked man lying against a tree. But this wasn't the youth who took his vehicle. This one had a mess of brown hair and some stubble. He was well proportioned, a vision. The doctor drew near feeling the man breathe. Remembering his medical bag in the passenger seat, he pulled off his jacket, covered the man and dove into the car. He had just found the bag under the passenger after sliding under the airbag when the car shuddered. In an instant, the windshield was engulfed in flames along with the tree. Hannibal slid back catching his vest on the gear shift. He pulled and pulled feeling the flames drawing nearer. Soon the car would explode taking him and the naked man with it. The flames penetrated the windshield. A scorching heat engulfed him. He closed his eye waiting for his demise opening them in time to see his body being yanked out just before the seats were overcome. He was taken a few yards away and swung around. Someone had shielded his body with theirs when there was an explosion.
Everything went quiet but slowly he regained his hearing. Someone frantically breathed into his ear. He tried to look around to face his protector but he was pinned in place. Sirens drew near. Their lights could be seen through the trees approaching the flames. Hannibal was released. He looked around for the other person but they were gone. Then he remembered the naked man. His heart dropped and he shot towards the chaos. Police stopped him from getting close. There was no sign of the man, just flames. The inferno was put out before it reached the houses nearby. In the rubble, there was no sign of the man.
