They were almost in Birmingham when
Julius finally woke up. A balled-up fast food bag was flung at his
head by Shannon, emitting a surprisingly loud “smack” upon
impact. Julius began shaking Kevin who was laying on top of him, but
got no response. Faces became grim, and panicked as Julius shook
harder, this time raising his voice. “Kevin, get up!” he
repeated, each time sounding more rattled than before; panic was
spreading through the van.
Christine rushed to the back of the
van, and pulled Kevin upright. She opened his eyes with her fingers,
and yelled at him to wake up, but he was gone. Eric went into a daze,
sounds became muffled, and time dragged to a near standstill. Vince
was pulling over, and trying to not seem as terrified as he was; all
things considered, he did a great job. Shannon sat there, mouth agape
as he made eye contact with Eric. Neither had any words for this
situation, only disbelief. Eric kept hoping this was just a
nightmare, but the empty feeling in his chest was all too real. He
felt light-headed, and couldn't focus, so he just closed his eyes,
and curled up on his seat.
It was around this time that everyone
started to notice the smell. Even by touring van standards, this was ungodly. Kevin's body was starting to become
stiff, and his pants were soaked, front, and back. This wasn't the
first time Kevin had soiled himself in his sleep, but it would be his
last. Everyone still in the realm of the living piled out of the van
to collect their thoughts. Christine was pacing, and fighting back
tears as Vince stared off into space, eventually breaking the silence
with “What the fuck do we do now?!” through a cracked voice.
Eric began asking his own questions,
“What were you two doing with that guy in the bathroom last night?”
he said, turning to Julius. Visibly startled, Julius stuttered “I
was just getting something from him”. “What was it, are you back
on that shit again!?” said Christine, seething with rage. “It was
just a little, and he insisted!” said Julius, backing away. “I
didn't make him do it, he just wanted to try it, I swear!” and with
that, Julius sprinted down the road, Christine rushing after him.
She tackled him after thirty yards, and
turned him over. She pinned his shoulders to the ground with her
knees as she unloaded on his face. Repeatedly, her fists sunk into
Julius' head as she screamed at him through tears. Vince came over to
pull her off him, and said “That's enough, we don't need two bodies
to deal with today.” Eric was dumbfounded, and Shannon was curled
up against the van, crying. Julius laid on the ground, wiping his
face before standing back up, slumped over in defeat. He walked back
over to the van, and got in, pounding on Kevin's chest.
This set both Christine, and Vince off;
they both pulled him out of the van with such force he began rolling
down the hill. It was at this point, blue lights appeared. An Alabama
state trooper parked behind them, and got out with a good ol' boy
stroll that signified he would enjoy harassing them to the fullest
extent of his abilities. His thick drawl oozed with arrogance as he
said “What's going on here?” with his hand displayed on his
pistol. “We're just lost, and had a disagreement. No big deal,
we've got it straightened out, and we'll be leaving soon.” said
Shannon, uncharacteristically on top of things, and suddenly
composed.
“I'll let you know when you can
leave.” said the officer, as he strolled around the vehicle, giving
everyone a look of contempt. “Y'all ain't from around here, are
ya?” he said, staring at Eric. “No, we're just passing through.”
said Eric, trying desperately to appear calm. “Well, I got word
there was a van going around making trouble at rest stops. You
wouldn't know anything about that would you?” said the cop,
scanning faces for reactions.
Everyone shook their heads as the cop
nodded, “Uh huh, I figured that. Well, let me tell you something,
today is your lucky day”. The cop smiled, “If it was anybody
else, I might have to take y'all in, but I got the complaint from a
Miles Baldwin. You know who that is?” Of course, no one had a clue
who he was talking about, but thankfully they ran into a very petty,
and dumb cop that day. Turns out that Miles Baldwin stole this
officer's wife a few months back, and he held a powerful grudge. He
noticed their van matched the description of one wanted for
vandalism, but wanted to give them a head's up instead of arrest
them.
“If y'all pass back through there,
shit all over the place! That sumbitch thinks we ain't got nothin
better to do than chase after kids all day? Make his life miserable
for all I care, just watch out, next guy to pull you over might not
feel that way”. The officer walked back towards his car, and said
“Y'all have a nice day” as he got inside. He never gave a second
glance to the motionless body against the back glass. He never even
asked for anyone's identification, it was a thoroughly surreal
experience.
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