Jack and martin took turns to drive, stopping briefly for fuel and food. Jack sat in the front
passenger seat exhausted, staring out of the window the crashed cars reminded him of the accident. Martin’s voice was beginning to drone on and on into the darkness.
Four months earlier...
Jack had gotten a phone call at the police station; his younger sister Jessica needed a ride home. So after his shift finished, jack headed to the club to pick up his 20 year old little sister. Friday nights were always the same, she would go clubbing and call him drunk looking for a lift. He didn’t mind really he had been looking after her ever since their parents had died six years ago.
Jessica was waiting outside the club with two guys hassling her, jack pulled up and got out of the
jeep and walked up to them. “Jess, time to go come on” he said. “Hey buddy she’s with us” one of
the guys told him, his voice slurred from too much to drink. Jack had dealt with guys like this before and knew how to get rid of them. He pulled his jacket aside to reveal his holster gun. At the sight of the gun the guys raised their hands and backed off. Jack took Jessica by the arm and took her to the jeep, she stumbled in her heels as she got from the curb into the front seat. Inside the car Jessica was as bubbly as ever and full of smiles for her brother. On the way home they chatted about their day and about what the club was like. They were laughing and jack didn’t see the truck swerve into the road in front of them. Jessica screamed as jack swerved to miss being hit by the truck, he barely missed hitting other vehicles passing by. He turned to his sister to check she was alright, that’s when they slammed into another car. The jeep flipped and rolled down the embankment. The next thing jack knew he was in an ambulance he was in and out of consciousness all the way to the hospital. When he was finally awake and stable the doctor had told him that the injuries his sister had sustained were severe and they did everything they could but she had died from internal bleeding. Jack had remained in hospital for a month with broken bones, concussion and cuts and bruises. The investigation ruled that it was an accident but jack still blamed himself. He should have made sure she was wearing her seat belt, he should have been paying full attention to the road. No matter the result of the investigation he would always blame himself for killing her. Jack had fallen asleep finally and martin drove them into Kentucky. The red misty gloom was still behind them and in pursuit. Passing the crashed cars and empty streets was depressing, if this was a conspiracy organised by the government martin thought it was the best one ever. Where had all the people gone, this must have cost millions and taken years to plan. He had to admit the government was good. Martin woke jack when he saw a woman walking down the middle of the street, she was looking in the cars as she passed them. As soon as she heard the jeep the woman turned and stood still, blinking her eyes in disbelieve at what she was seeing. Jack and martin got out of the car and approached her. “I knew it” she said out loud with tears welling up in her eyes “I knew I couldn’t be the only one”. Jack moved closer to her. “I’m jack and this is martin” he said introducing themselve’s. The red mist was closing in around them. “Come on we need to keep moving” martin said to them. They rushed back into the jeep as the mist crept closer and closer. Jack took over the driving and martin got in behind him leaving the woman to get in the front beside jack. The mist was everywhere apart from one street, turning the corner they sped off away from the mist. “I’m Pamela” the woman introduced herself once they were on their way. Pamela a woman in her late thirties with brown curly short hair told them what had happened to her kids. Jack gave her his condolences for the loss of her kids. After she was finished she asked jack where they were heading. Jack told her “I’m not sure; we are just trying to keep ahead of the mist”. He also told her about his thoughts on the mist that it was alive somehow and driving them somewhere. Jack and martin took turns to tell Pamela their stories of what had happened to them. sitting in silence for a while they all reflected on what was happening, and Pamela had the realization that she would never see her children again. The tears rolled down her cheeks in a silent sob staring out of the window she felt jack’s hand take hold of hers. He didn’t say a word and he didn’t need to, just the knowledge that
she was not alone and that someone who cared was with her was more than enough right now. If he had wanted to talk she doubted she would even know what to say. It was an hour before the silence was broken by a crackle on the radio. Jack turned it up and they could make out a voice he was saying there were survivors in Tennessee in a small town. The man on the radio gave the location of the town, the desperation in his voice filled with hope of finding others. They were already in Tennessee and discovered they were heading towards this town.
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