I was about to say something to Kyle, but was interrupted when Don’s country drawl crackled over the radio up by Darla’s perch. She reached over and cranked the volume once his gravelly voice came over the waves.

“You kids are cute. Sitting back there all cuddled up, young and in love. Going from big city to big city.”

Don’s voice let out a deep exhale, creating a lengthy pause.

“That’s why this is going to be so hard, you see. You’re probably expecting me to start in on some Bible-thumping diatribe or some speech about how you city pricks are ruing our lives, but that’s not why we are doing this. We are doing this, because it’s just what we like to do. It’s an impulse and one that I don’t know where it comes from. That’s all. Over-and-out.”

Without any hesitation, I sprung up to my feet before Don had even finished and ran towards the cab of the truck where Darla was driving.

In a flash, I was in the light of the cabin, just over Darla’s shoulder, ready to lunge, when I heard Don’s voice crackle back over the radio.

“I know right now you are probably thinking about, or, already trying to scramble your way out of the rig, but the bad news is that it is already too late. You don’t realize it, but we have a friend back there with you.”

I heard the worst sound I had ever heard in my life burst out from behind me. It was like the sound of a horrifying scream interrupted by the sound of air being let out of a car tire.

I looked back for just a moment to see Kyle wrapped up like a python’s prey by a figure that looked like the color black formed into a human body. I could barely even tell what I was looking at was Kyle. His neck was being snapped back and filleted with a thick knife that shimmered in the hints of light that leaked into the sleeper cab. His blood gushing down onto his plain white t-shirt that had already been turned a Kool-Aid red.

My body didn’t connect with my brain. I moved in one snap. I dove upon Darla behind the steering wheel, slipping the powerful wheel from her grasp, sending the entire vehicle into a shudder. I didn’t even look to where we were going. I just looked to my hands numbly wrapped around the old woman’s neck and the look of pure terror in her eyes. I could hear the sounds of Don freaking out on the radio as Darla slipped out of the chair and the truck pitched to the left, throwing both of us against the door. I grabbed hold of the cold metal of the door’s handle on my way into the thing and pulled the little lever towards me as hard as I could, flinging the door out into the cold open of the night.

Without even looking what I had opened myself up to, I leapt, instinctually covered my head and felt my body fly upon the air of the night for seconds that felt like hours.