There was nothing about the night that felt promising. There was nothing about the moon that screamed romance. There was nothing about the stars that showed direction. The night air had been still and silent. There was nothing around for miles, nothing but darkness.

The three students sat silently in the car, each a prisoner to their own fear. The car lights flickered on and off occasionally, giving sign to the weak battery life, they had over looked. Blake drummed his fingers across the empty gas jug he had forgotten to fill. Even though no one in the car looked at him, Blake knew they were giving him cold looks at the corner of his eyes. He really hadn’t wanted to speak, but the tension was colder than the silent desert air.

“Can we at least turn the radio on,” Blake asked from the back. No one cared to respond right away. it was as of each of the front seat passengers were playing a game of chicken to see who would respond to Blakes annoying comment first. Helda folded and after, what seemed like an hour, she let out a breath of air full of hate. She pulled her gum out of her mouth and placed it quickly on a crumbled piece of paper she had thrown on the dashboard earlier.

“Because, genius, we’re already using the battery for heat and its already low,” Helda declared.

“Well why don’t we use your phone for music Josh? You have all the good songs anyway,” Blake asked.

“Because, genius,” Josh began sarcastically, making sure it was clear to Blake that he had no friends in the car at the moment. “The battery to my phone is also low and we need it to call the tow truck when we get a signal again,”

“Listen guys, I’m sorry I forgot to…”

“Can your sorry get us home tonight?” Helda asked tossing the piece of crumbled paper back unto the dashboard.

“No, but I…”

“Then we really don’t need it Blake. It would help though if you sat back in your seat and stayed quiet awhile,” Helda demanded. Blake, not wanting to agitate them further, took her advice. Blake tried to get comfortable. He picked his jacket up from the car seat and quickly put it on. Inside the pocket of the jacket Blake felt his gun. They had stolen it from a man at a bar who seemed a little depressed. It was Helda’s idea to take it really.

“We’re saving his life,” Blake remember Helda saying “Hes too wasted to be carrying this.”

Blake made sue the safe had still been on. He wasn’t to happy with having a gun in the car and even less thrilled that they had stolen it and put it in his coat pocket. Blake got comfortable under the jacket. He laid down, trying to hear his own music. Blake thought of his favorite song. He heard Helda popping gum. Blake knew she didn’t have another piece of gum. She must have reconsidered chewing that gum she had chewed the flavor out of. Blake eyes began to slowly close.

Blake quickly awoke, feeling something crawl on his face. He aggressively swatted the fly away from his face. He stared up, hoping that the pick up truck had been close. The car had still been quite. Blake had been just annoyed with everyone else, as they were with him. Why would they leave him with such a large responsibility? Why was he the only one to have remembered to fill the extra gas can? It wasn’t him who tried to take the chance of driving through the desert on a quarter tank. Blake smiled, he had thought of a good point. He rose quickly, his intention to start yelling, but instead he began to slowly develop fear.

Helda… Josh…

They were gone…

The doors remained open. Blake hadn’t noticed the sound of the bleeping sound that alerted everyone that there was still a door open. Josh looked around in the darkness, but found nothing. Helda and Josh were like brother and sister. There was noway they were hooking up outside. Except… they weren’t brother and sister. Blake slowly exited the car. He began to call out to his friends, but there was no answer. The desert had been so dark, Blake could barely see his own hands. He circled the car, trying to see if they were near the car. Nothing.

He called out to them again, but stopped as he noticed the ground near the door. It was as if something had been dragged off the road and into the darkness. Panic echoed in the heart of Blake. The chills shooting up and down became clear. the chills had not been from the cold night air, but from fear. Blake jumped in the car, closing all the doors behind him. Blake slowly glanced at his hand, blood. He slowly glanced to the door handle. blood had stained it. He began to slowly freak  out. He called to them once again, even knowing that it was to no prevail.

Blake knew what ever happened to Helda and Josh, was capable of happening to him. He knew the car had not been safe. and to prove his suspicions, the front doors slowly opened simultaneously. Blake screamed, afraid of what he feared would come next… his disappearance. Blake reached for the gun in his jacket. He quickly took the safety off, but the car began to shake, rocking back and forth.

“Leave me Alone!” Blake cried.

“We’re gonna getcha, We’re gonna getcha, just like we got you friends,” Blake heard a loud whisper say. Tears began to form in Blakes eyes.

“No,” He cried out.

“You’re on our land,” He heard the whisper again.

“I’m sorry! I’ll leave, please don’t eat me!” Blake cried in a whimper.

“Too late! We’re gonna getcha and eat you slolwy! We need to eat,” The deep voice growled again. The car continued to rock. Blake looked down at the gun, staring down the hollow barrel. He gulped and wiped his tear. He thought about helda, how much he loved her. He thought about Josh and how much Josh loved Helda.

“No,” Blake cried

“No?” the voice asked. It began to laugh. The car began to shake.

“No. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO EAT ME ALIVE!”

POW!!

The gun fell from Blakes hands and unto the floor. His hands went limp and dropped to the seats that began to stain with blood. Blakes head quickly rested on his shoulders. A stream of blood poured from his mouth and the back of his head. it slithered down the seats making sure to fill the seats below.

“Blake?” Helda cried as she climbed in the car through the front seat. She stared in horror as their practical joke became more real than they had intended. Josh hit his head on the car door, trying to escape the scene. He fell to the ground in shock, praying he had not seen what he had seen in the back seat. Josh looked up at Helda and she down at him, praying they too would wake up. Praying that Blake was playing a similar Joke on them. Josh put his hands to his eyes as headlights slowly approached him. It had been the pick up truck.