Darkness was coming earlier these days, Kim thought, as they drove down Route 6 toward the mall in Brookville. As they wound their way through the dark roads, she heard Andrew rustling with his too-small jacket.
"It won't be long before you have one that fits," she said, smiling at her son in the rearview mirror. "Are you okay back there, Mike?"
"Yes, ma'am." Mike gave one of his typical two-word responses.
Kayla stared out the window. "Funny, how with all the changes in Salem - the refinery, the new mall and trauma center next year - nobody's tried to clear out the woods here. Remember how we'd come out here during high school."
Kim let out a soft laugh. "Every boy seemed to think he was the first to suggest a drive out to the woods off Route 6."
"Yeah," Kayla snorted. "In school they didn't know the difference between a star and a planet, yet they would all somehow suddenly develop a huge interest in the 'exploring the night sky.'"
"I think they were far more interested in 'exploring' other things," Kim said softly, glancing back to make sure Andrew was not paying too close attention.
Kayla giggled and nodded. She was silent for a moment and Kim glanced over and saw Kayla's expression grow serious. After a moment, Kayla spoke again, her voice far more serious.
"Did I tell you I ran into Charlie Rogers when I was in the capital a few weeks ago?" Kayla asked, never looking at Kim.
Kim started at the mention of Charlie's name. "Uh . . . no," she replied hesitantly. "You didn't mention it. Umm . . . how is he?"
"Fine, I guess." Kayla's words were short. Kim wondered what had prompted Kayla to bring up Charlie after all these years, but now was not the time to delve into the subject, not with Andrew in the back seat. Before she could change the subject, she heard Mike call to her from the backseat.
"Ma'am." Mike sounded like something was wrong.
Kim looked in the rearview mirror and realized what had gotten his attention. A car was coming up on them like a bullet. The bright headlights nearly blinded her. "What's he doing?" Kim muttered.
"What do you mean?" Kayla asked, as she turned in her seat.
The other car did not seem to be slowing down. It was only a few car-lengths behind her now. Kim rolled down her window, ignoring the frigid air that blasted her face, and stuck her arm outside. She waved for the other car to pass.
"What a jerk," Kayla muttered, as the car finally moved into the passing lane.
"That's defin-" Kim was just starting to agree when her words were cut off by a loud crunching sound.
The entire car jolted forward. It started to slide to the right. Kim could barely hold onto the steering wheel.
"What's he doing!" Kayla shouted.
There was another jolt, and Kim fought to keep the car from running off the road. The front end of the other car pressed tight against hers, as if it was trying to muscle her out of the way. She tried to look in the side mirror, but the other car's headlights were only a few feet away, making it impossible to see anything in the reflection.
In the backseat, Andrew screamed. "Mommy!"
Kim accelerated, hoping she could escape. The engine revved and they started to pull away. The other car responded. It sped up, drawing close to the right rear of Kim's car. The other car pulled to the left and then Kim heard its engine rev loudly as it swung back against hers.
The back half of her car fishtailed and the steering wheel broke free from Kim's hands. The car skidded, turning sharply into the path of the attacking car. Somehow, its driver swerved to the right, avoiding contact as Kim's car shot across the road, still spinning from the impact.
She desperately tried to get control of the wheel as Kayla screamed. Andrew was shouting in the back, but Kim tried to focus.
"Watch out!" Kayla yelled.
Kim looked out the window as the car completed a 180-degree turn just as it skidded off the pavement. It's right-side seemed to pitch downward, and she barely managed to register the reason - a storm ditch just off the side of the road.
"Nooo!" Kim cried.
The bottom of the car hit the ground and the car bounced upward. It flew back up and flipped. The metal just above - or below - Kim's head rippled with the force of the impact. She heard someone shriek in pain, as her world dissolved into a spinning, flipping vortex of screams, exploding glass, crunching metal, and jarring blows as the car struck the ground, pitched sideways, and rolled over and over into the darkness.