In LA there was always noise; out here it seemed so quiet Callen could hear himself breathing, or maybe it was because he was breathing too loud. The journey from where he had left Sam to his current position wasn't far, but it had pushed him to the edge of of his endurance. This damned infection raging through his body was wiping him out. But never the quitter, Callen pushed onward, moved across the open space between him and the car to hunker down behind it.
Shielding the beam from the flashlight with his hand, he gave the vehicle a once over. He walked around the outside of the car, inspecting each tire; they appeared in good working order. Opening the driver's side door, which groaned in the near silence of the night, he shone the light across the dashboard at the gauges. There seemed to be fuel, if the gas gauge was to be believed. Of course there were no keys dangling from the ignition; that would have been too easy.
Propping the flashlight up on the seat, Callen reached under the steering wheel and forced the plastic panel off the bottom of the steering column to expose the necessary wires to hotwire the car. He quickly identified the bundle that had the battery, ignition and starter wires. It was an older model which made it easier to work on; still at one point Callen saw the black dots swimming across his eyes and he was forced to lay his head on his forearms and try not to pass out. When the dizzy spell passed, he got out his pen knife and striped the necessary wires and sparked them to turn over the engine.
The car came to life and he gunned the engine a few times with his hand on the accelerator to ensure it wouldn't stall. The last thing he needed to do before he could drive off was to break the steering wheel lock; starting was good, steering was better. He slid out of the car and stood, looking around for what he needed. He didn't have time to be fancy about it and when he spotted an abandoned piece of 1 inch metal piping he knew he'd found his tool.
Holding the flashlight in his mouth, Callen slid behind the wheel and threaded the metal pipe through the spokes of the steering wheel. Grasping the left end of the pipe with an overhand grip and the right side with an underhand grip, he gave the pipe a hard push/pull. It took a tremendous outpouring of energy on Callen's part but the wheel broke free and he would now be able to steer the car.
Fighting to remain conscious, Callen unthreaded the pipe, threw it on the floor on the passenger's side, slid behind the wheel and shut the driver's door. Instinctively, he reached for the seatbelt before realizing if he buckled it over his shoulder with the bullet hole in it, he would pass out.
Using the moonlight as his headlights, Callen turned the car around and headed down the dirt road away from the farm. When he could no longer see the buildings in the rearview mirror, he pulled the car to the side of the road in a stand of trees. He guessed he'd driven about a mile from where he'd stolen the car which meant he'd have to walk a mile back to get Sam.
Reaching under the dash and yanking the wires, the car died. Callen leaned his head against the seat to rest for a moment. What he hadn't planned on happening was him passing out, but he did and he toppled over sideways in the front seat. A few crickets chirped and the moon continued its trip across the sky as Callen remained unconscious in the car and Sam anxiously awaited his return in the woods.