3

And Jinx it is exactly what he did when he uttered those few fateful words. Because it has not even been twenty minutes  yet that the kids are in the back seat fighting like cats and dogs. “I am not touching you..” Jack taunts his sister, his finger hovering less than a centimeter away from her arm. Sunny moves her arm away from him and he follows it with his finger, just to be annoying. 

"I am still not touching you..." He breathes out in a sing song voice. 

“Stop it, Jack! That is so annoying! Mom! Come on! Will you make him stop already!” Sunny screeches at the top her lungs, making Lacey wince at the loud noise. The girl smacks her brother's hand away from her arm and Jack howls as if she had taken a flame thrower to his skin. He clutches his hand tightly and gives his sister a fierce glare. Lacey is too annoyed to smile at his theatrics at the moment. 

“Ow! Mom, she hit me so hard and it hurt me really bad!” Jack cries out in a whiny voice, just trying to get a rise out of his sister in the hopes that she gets in trouble. He knows that Sunny can not help but give a scathing retort so he goads her into it. 

Sunny could not keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. She would rather get in trouble than miss the opportunity to have the last word. To her, it was worth any punishment to get to have that last scathing retort. "You are such a little b-"

"Sunny!" Lacey interrupts, her tone of voice a warning. "Quit while you are ahead."

"Yeah, Sunny... You better stop-" Jack stage whispers.

"Shut up! Ugh! I don't even like you, you j-"

Andy rolls his eyes at the children's antics and Lacey tells the two of them, “ Stop it right now! You had better keep your hands to yourself, the both of you. I am tired of listening to this mess every time we are in the dang car! If the two of you do not knock it off the next person not keeping their hands to themelves will be me, when we have to pull this car over.”

“But he started it!” Sunny cries out, offended that she was being fussed at, considering in her mind she did nothing wrong.

“No way! You started it, your little cry baby!” Jack growls at her in anger.

“Shut up, you big jerk face! You are a bully and a butt head-”

“No! You shut up, you stinkin' little brat! All you do is whine and cry-”

Both children are shouting at the same time, their word overlapping one anothers.

Andy smacks the steering wheel loudly to get the attention of both children. They both jump in their seats. “Enough! The both of you, hush your mouths right this instant or Christmas will be canceled. You will not get a single gift this year. We will turn this car around and head home where you can each stay in your rooms until long after the new year comes!”

“Great! See what you did, brat! Now we are in trouble.” Jack grouses at his sister, glaring at her.

Andy turns in his seat to glare at his son. “Jack! You need to close your mouth right now and keep it closed! I will not say it again.”

Andy is growing annoyed with the children, that much is plain to see. It is already dark outside and it is starting to sprinkle rain. Andy has the windshield wipers on, but it mostly just smearing the water across the window, making it even harder to see through. The kids fighting in the close quarters of the vehicle does not help the situation any, either.

The radio had been turned down to quietly play in the background, but Andy turns it up a bit to hear if there is a weather report being discussed. It takes about ten minutes, but then there is finally one on the air. The man talks about the freezing rain that is causing treacherous driving conditions through out parts of Montana, Wyoming, middle North Dakota and parts of South Dakota.

“Crap. It appears that we are going to be driving right into it.” Andy tells his wife.

“So it would seem.” Lacey agrees. "It also sound as if we are going to be following it for a while."

Lacey is a little worried about the weather but she keeps it to herself. She does not want him to be concerned about her and her fears. She would rather have all of his attention focused on the road. Besides, she does not want her worries to upset the children. 

Sunny is a bit high strung and she panics very easily. The last thing that Lacey wants to do is get her worked up, because the little girl will freak out until she makes herself sick. A crying and vomiting Sunny in the back seat is that last thing Andy needs when he is already tense from their fighting and the slick roads.

He slows down his speed as the freezing rain begins to fall harder against the window. The sound of rain and ice hitting the windshield sounding loud in the now silent car as it pings off of the glass. The side windows are accumulating a bit of ice, that even the heat from the vehicle is not able to melt.

The kids must have picked up on the tension and have thankfully settled down to act right. Neither child speaks, whether it is because of their father's threat or whether it is because of the way their father is driving so carefully, Lacey does not know. Either way, she is thankful that they are behaving themselves for the moment. Knock on wood that they manage to keep up the good behavior.

“We really needed to buy some new windshield wipers before we started out on this trip.” Lacey comments aloud and Andy nods in agreement.

“I know that we did. If only I would have had the time to get the car road trip ready before we set out. I would feel much better about the weather if I knew the car was up to snuff.” Andy tells her, never taking his eyes from the road.

They had originally planned on taking Andy's vehicle which was a 1994 Ford Explorer but it had unfortunately broken down just a few days before and with the holidays, it was taking the mechanic a bit too long to get it fixed, so they had to change their plan.

They ended up taking Lacey's car instead, but since it was a spur of the moment decision, they had not had time to get it 'road trip ready' as Andy likes to call it, much to his dismay.

He typically prefers to get new tires, new windshield wipers, change the oil and get a tune up before setting out on long trips. All the taurus has is a spare tire and a tire jack, in case something goes wrong and they get a flat tire. They are pretty much just driving on a hope and a prayer, hoping that they manage to make it to Minnesota safely.

“Shit.” Andy's muttered curse draws her attention and she turns to him with surprise. It is very rarely that he ever says a foul word, especially not in front of the children, so his use of profanity now startles her.

“What is it, Andy?”

“Look.” He points up ahead of them, where cars are backed up for a large distance. She did not notice it but up ahead of the line of cars are the multiple flashing lights of dozens of emergency vehicles. “It must have been a pretty bad wreck or something, because that is a lot of police vehicles and ambulances.”

“There is even a firetruck up there. I sincerely hope that everyone is okay. That is so horrible to see.. especially right here at Christmas time. It is absolutely terrible.” Lacey says, saying a quick prayer for the victims of the accident, that they are all okay. 

“There is a police officer directing vehicles to take this exit right here, it seems. It must be a detour.” Andy tells her, gesturing to the exit that he is speaking of.

They move forward at a crawl until they reach the older officer in his North Dakota state highway patrol uniform. He is soaked from the rain and his cheeks are red and chapped from the below freezing temperatures. “Okay folks, I am going to have to ask you to take that exit right there. The highway is closed for the forseeable future due to a large accident.”

“Where does this exit take us? We are not from here and we do not really know our way around the area+..” Andy tells the man.

“The local road crew have set up the detour signs to help point you in the right direction. I will admit that it is a few minutes out of the way, taking that route to get back out onto the highway. But, you might want to stick to the back roads as much as you can for the remainder of your trip. We have had reports of two more accidents further down. Vehicles are being advised to stay off the roads unless it is an emergency, due to the horrible conditions of the roads.” The officer says to them. "If you can find lodgings for the night, I suggest you halt your travel until morning, when the road crews have had time to clear the roads.

“Okay. Well, thank you, sir.” Andy says.

“No problem. You folks have a good evening. Merry Christmas.” The nice officer tips his head in a nod and then moves on to the next vehicle.

“Well then... It looks as if we are going to be taking the scenic route.” Andy huffs, carefully switching lanes to take the exit.

The ramp leads to a dead end with the only options being to either turn left or right, with on hint to tell them which was to go. Since they were coming from the right and it would seem to take them back where they had just traveled from, Andy choose to turn to the left. If there had been a sign there, they never once saw it. 

Driving left, he passes a couple of closed up businesses and buildings, all without seeing a single detour sign. The buildings fall away until they are on a long stretch of deserted road, with nothing on either side, except for some approaching trees.

The road is winding and twisting, while the freezing rain comes down even harder, making driving conditions extremely unfavorable. Lacey can tell by Andy's tight grip on the wheel and the way that he watches the road intently that the roads are getting harder to drive on safely. A thin layer of ice covers the road, as snow begins to mix with the rain falling. 

Andy is driving slow because they can barely see in front of them. The children are asleep once more in the back seat, thankfully. Lacey isn't speaking, for fear of distracting him. There have been enough accidents already this evening. They don't need to add to the ever growing number.

There is a sharp curve ahead, flanked by the towering trees lining either side of the road. As Andy takes it, suddenly they are blinded by approaching headlights, heading straight towards them, as the vehicle appears to be driving in the middle of the road.

Andy swerves to avoid being hit head on but the car's tires catch on some the ice and send them careening about in circles down the thankfully empty road.

“Damn it.” Andy curses out loud, taking his foot off the gas and the brake while he is trying his best to hold the wheel still. The sound of the childrens terrified screams fill the car, as Lacey braces her hand on the dash board. 

After a few terrifying seconds, the car finally lurches to a stop. Luckily without hitting any of the many trees or anything else. The kids were woken up by the all of commotion and they were freaking out as the car spun out of control. Lacey was just as terrified, barely managing to hold back her own screams.

Both kids are crying as Lacey turns around to check on them. They are hugging each other as best they can considering that their seat belts are still anchoring them to their respective seats. “It is okay, my babies. We are okay. Everything is fine. It's fine. We are safe.”

“I'm so scared, Mommy.” Sunny whimpers.

“I know, my baby, but there is no reason to be. Everything is fine. Okay? Daddy has everything under control. Don't you, daddy?”

“I sure do.” Andy answers, but he is distracted by something behind them.

“Okay Mommy.” The little girl whispers, still clutching her brother tightly. Not that Jack seems to mind, because he is clinging to his sister for comfort, as well.

“You okay, Jack Attack?” Lacey asks the boy, who nods quietly. Lacey gives him what she hopes his a comforting smile. "You are being so brave, my big boy. You just keep on comforting your sister for me, okay?"

"Okay, mom." The little boy swallows hard and musters up a tentative smile back for his mother.

“Look at that darn idiot. He is still just sitting there in the middle of the dang road.” Andy is turned around in his seat, looking through the back window at the car. His harshly spoken words manage to capture Lacey's attention.

“Why is he just sitting there like that in the middle of the road? Especially in this horrible weather?” Lacey asks her husband, as she stares at the vehicle as well. She can't make out any details because the road that they are on is way too dark, with the lack of street lights. “Is the car broke down or something, do you think? Maybe the driver is in some sort of distress? Should we go check?”

Just then, as if in answer to her question, the car reverses, heading towards them at an alarmingly fast speed. Andy honks the horn loudly, trying to get the car's attention to let him know that they are still back there. It is aiming straight for the side of their car, as they are parked across both lanes of the road, and it has no intention of stopping it seems.

“Oh my gosh! Andy..” Lacey gasps, turning to face her husband, eyes wide with fear.

“What is this moron doing?” Andy puts the car back in drive.

“He is going to hit us!” Jack screams from the backseat, as the car gets closer. Lacey looks at the approaching car, only able to make out part of the license plate in the glow of it's red brake lights. It is a North Dakota plate and the last two numbers are a five and an eight. 

Andy presses his foot down on the gas and the back tires spin a bit on the slick surface, making the back end of the vehicle fish tail before the car moves forward. He manages to straighten the vehicle without incident and they take off down the road as fast as he dares on the ice covered roads.

Lacey is turned around in her seat, watching the car, which stopped moving once they took off. It is still just sitting there, in the bend of the curve. “What the heck was that all about?” She asks her husband, breathing heavy with residual fear.

“Some damn fool trying to get themselves and others killed! Probably a bunch of idiotic teenagers thinking this is some kind of game.” He grouses beneath his breath. 

Lacey can tell that his skin is pale, even in the darkness. He was frightened as well. She admires her husband for how strong and calm he stayed throughout the situation. He is and always has been a pillar of strength, carrying his family through any hard times that they might face. Lacey sometimes takes it for granted that he will always be there to handle the hard parts and she resolves to appreciate him more.

For now, though, they have a situation to handle. “Should we call the police or something to report the vehicle, before they manage hurt someone? Or worse.” Lacey asks him.

“You can try, I suppose. But they probably won't be able to send anyone out here right now, I wouldn't think. I would imagine that all the many wrecks have them backed up with calls.” He tells her.

Looking back over the seat, she can faintly see the glow of the vehicles brake lights off in the distance. “I didn't get the make or model, year or color of the vehicle. Did you by chance?”

“No, I did not.” They were both distacted with trying to get way from said vehicle. Lacey doesn't think to give him the details she managed to see from his license plate, because what good would that do? It wasn't like she mananged to get all of the numbers or letters.

“Then I don't guess there is any point in calling it in, is there? There is no way they could find it if they don't know what to even look for-” Lacey says.

Suddenly a car zooms around them with it's headlights turned off, going recklessly fast. The car whips in front of them, but doesn't slow down or stop. It doesn't engage with them in any way. It just continues driving away, the red of the vehicles vaguely familiar brake lights all they see as it pulls away from them.

“Was that the same car as before?” Lacey shouts at Andy. The brake lights looked to be the same.

“I have no idea. Probably. It looks to be the same size as the one before.” He slows down to fall back away from it, just in case.

“Should we keep going? What if they are waiting up there to try and run us off of the road again?” Lacey is concerned that he might be waiting to try again.

“What alternative do we have?” Andy asks her. Looking around them at the darkness outside of the car, he finally seems to notice something. “There are no other cars on this road.”

“What?” Lacey is confused by his sudden change of topic.

“All the other cars on the highway. The ones that the police officer was directing to take the detour as well.. There were at least fifty other cars, easily.”

“Yeah, there were a bunch of them-”

“Where are they? Where did they go?” Andy looks at the road behind them in the rearview mirror. “We have been on this road for nearly twenty minutes and we only ran into one, maybe two cars, if that wasn't the same person. Where are all of the other drivers?”

“Did we go the wrong way or something?” Lacey asks him, concerned.

“I don't really see how we could have. But I never saw the signs that the officer said were out to direct us. He did say the detour was about twenty minutes out of the way.” Andy reminds his wife. Looking at the control panel, he sighs. “We have been driving for about twenty minutes.”

“Unless we turned left when we were suppose to go right. You know how some roads are. They go the wrong way, then double back to correct themselves, just to be confusing. If that is the case, then we did go the wrong way.”

“And to make it all the more interesting, we are almost out of gas.” Andy says quietly.

“What?” Lacey looks at the gas gauge in the hope that he is mistaken. He was not.

“We are on empty. We need to stop for gas as soon as we can or we will be stranded.” Andy says. “Right now we are coasting on fumes.”

Lacey checks on the kids again, who are both asleep once again. Both Andy and Lacey are nervous and apprehensive as they move forward, through the still falling rain. They both keep their eyes peeled for signs of the other vehicle approaching them from either direction, but the rest of the ride is uneventful and they don't pass another vehicle.

“Hopefully we can make it to the service station in time.” Andy says quietly, the comment meant only for Lacey's ears.

“I sincerely hope so. I really do not want to be broken down on this road, where that maniac driver could be anywhere around here. He could come back at any time and we would be sitting ducks.” Lacey frets, wringing her hands with worry.

“Look!” Andy tells her as he points at something ahead of them. A sign on the side of the road says that there is a gas station just a small ways up the road. “We will make it, baby.”

The trees fall away to a deserted stretch of road, with nothing but fields on each side. Off in the distance they can see the faint blur of lights that they assume is the gas station. As the get closer, they can make it out more clearly.

A tiny brick building, painted all white with chips in the paint, it is barely the size of a large storage shed. There are two gas bumps out front and one tire air pump that looks to barely be standing upright. It looks like more of a run down shack than a business establishment, but it is their only option. Even if the place has seen better days, it was better than the alternative.

Pulling in to the parking lot and stopping in front of the pump closest to the store, Andy fishes his wallet out of his pocket and hands it over to his wife. “If you will go inside to pay, I will start pumping the gas. While you are in there, would you mind getting me a coffee please?”

“Sure.” Lacey takes his wallet and exits the car. 

It is only twenty-five feet or so to the door, but it still feels like a long walk across the eerily deserted lot. There are no other vehicles in the parking lot, but there are lights on inside and the sign on the door claims that 'Yes, We Are Open' so she moves forward and pushes open the door.

It is so cold outside that when she opens up the door on a swing, she expects to feel a blast of warm air, but she doesn't. If at all possible, it feels even colder inside the tiny building.

There is a woman behind the counter, leaning on her folded arms. She is very thin, with messy hair that falls into her gaunt face in disarray. She has a creepy, vacant stare that follows Lacey as she moves through the store.

Lacey can literally feel the woman's beady eyes on her and it is unnerving. Lacey has no idea why she is so jumpy today, but everyone that they have encountered today just seems to give her an uneasy feeling. It could all be in here head, but somehow she didn't think so. 

There is one refrigerator with a paper sign on the door that says 'drinks' and there are two shelves stacked with various snack cakes and chips. One small magazine rack that has three out dated magazines and a stand with a few options of cigarettes are by the check out counter. A stack of local newspapers sit on the counter and that is all that the place has to offer. No options for coffee.

The interior of the store is filthy and there is a strange, sour smelling odor that turns Lacey's stomach with it's foul, musty stench. Moving over to the woman, Lacey is uncomfortable about approaching her. She just wants to quickly pay and leave.

“Good evening.” Lacey says to the woman, trying to be pleasant. She even manages to spread her mouth into a smile that she hopes doesn't come off as a grimace.

The woman merely stares at her without saying a word. Her bored facial expressions do not change. She is a like a statue, holding perfectly still. So much so that she doesn't even blink. If it were not for her chest rising and falling slighty beneath her stained and ripped t-shirt, Lacey wouldn't be sure that she was even real. She acts as if she is frozen or something.

“Um, we had the gas.. uh, it is the only car out there. The Ford..” Lacey points to it anyways, since the woman doesn't seem to know what is going on around her, but the woman doesn't even turn her head to look. "How much do I owe you?"

The woman still just continues to stare at Lacey. Lacey looks through Andy's wallet and pulls out a bill. “Will a ten cover it?”

Still no response and at this point Lacey is growing even more uncomfortable and exasperated by this woman's continued rudeness, so she slaps the bill on the counter and leaves the building. That woman sure was weird! If a ten doesn't cover it, she can feel free to call the cops on them, but Lacey wasn't waiting around another moment in that ice box, with the staring stranger.

As she treks across the parking lot towards the car, she notices that her husband is talking to a strange man who seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

Where did he come from?