Alex topped off the tank and checked her phone again...still no bars. Huh. Maybe I need to get back toward the border. Best get to it, then.
She slid out onto the main road, which doubled as the highway, as two-lane highways often do. Passing the Purgatory Bar & Grill and the Long Way Inn, she gave a small, barely conscious wave, with a slight smile for Josie, despite the off-putting atmosphere. Probably everyone feels a little off after spending a night lost in the desert.
She sped up to highway speed as she crossed the railroad tracks and headed back the way she came.
Soon, the road began to curve, which was odd. This highway was about as straight and narrow a road as you could drive. She looked for a pullout or crossroad to stop and bring up turn-by-turn directions on her phone, but there wasn’t anything.
The road kept winding back and forth, gently, curving around absolutely nothing and for no reason. A creeping dread coiled low in her gut. This wasn't the same road. But it had to be.
As her trepidation rose, wisps of fog appeared, then thickened in the otherwise sunny morning. The road straightened, and she began to relax. Okay, this is right. Maybe I'm just misremembering. As her shoulders loosened, the mist dissipated.
Off to her left, skid marks scarred the asphalt, swerving across both lanes, dirt and brush chewed up in ragged strips. She shuddered involuntarily. I've got to find a place to pull over and call my mom. And get the GPS up. A sudden realization flashed. Oh, those are my—crap. Well, at least I've made it this far.
She glanced nervously into her rearview mirror, but there was no one behind her for miles. She looked up and gasped.
A solid wall of fog was creeping toward her. She stopped the car and frantically dialed her mother.
Alex cursed under her breath in a steady stream, a mantra to hold back panic. The phone just didn’t work. Was it damaged in the crash? Wait, what crash? She'd just left the road, that’s all. Her thoughts raced in time with her heartbeat.
She strained her eyes against the gloom. Something human-shaped darted across the road. She slammed on the brakes with a shouted curse. It turned briefly in her direction, resolving into a woman in a floral summer dress, deep purple flowers bright against the fog. Alex’s brain scrambled for recognition. I KNOW her. She leaned out the window and called, "Hey! You okay?"
Then the woman was gone.
Shaking, Alex pulled over. Nothing around for miles. Where did she come from? And where do I know her from? She got out of the car and yelled until her throat was raw. Finally, she stumbled back inside and beat on the steering wheel until her fists hurt. When she stopped, she was crying in frustration.
At last, she pulled herself together and crept forward, slowed by the thick, swirling mist.
She inched on, hoping for anything: the fog to lift, a sign of civilization, the phone to work. The fucking radio to work. It had been spouting static for miles...snatches of voices, whispers. At one point, her mom's voice. Neat. I'm delusional.
She turned it all the way down and rolled down the window, hoping the cold air would snap her out of what was clearly some nightmare.
The whispering continued. She screamed at it and rolled the window back up.
The pavement gave way to gravel. How did I lose the road?? Ahead, her headlights lit up an "End Road" sign. Big and bright and yellow. Wood, handmade, letters uneven and crooked. She stared in complete incomprehension. I...what? Where's the fucking road?
Suddenly, she felt very small and vulnerable. She squared her shoulders and got out, shoes crunching the gravel...she walked, then ran, several dozen feet in each direction, searching for the road that HAD to be there. No turnoff. She would’ve seen it. Breathless, she returned to the car and tried again and again to call her mother, her sister, her work. She texted. Fast busies. No bars. Nothing would send.
She hurled the phone across the car and tried to take stock. Right now, she was alone in the fog, alone in the WORLD, except for maybe that woman who hadn’t heard her.
Her skin crawled. Hours gone, no closer to home. She checked the gas gauge. Full. Then the radio blared to life. "And welcome back to our road warriors! Just back from an extended tour across the Southwest, and playing here soon! Call for tickets to win, and meanwhile, enjoy their latest hit, 'Turn it Around, Girl, Go Home!' Caller 9 wins!" Bubblegum pop filled the car, a girl band with heavy synth and just enough bass to pretend to be edgy. Alex slammed the radio off in disgust.
The car was silent. The road was silent. The fog was, finally, silent. But it pressed closer. Forcing back panic, she snapped the radio back on, a little too loud. "Fine, that's what you want? Let's turn it around!"
She roared forward, fishtailing slightly before forcing herself into a steady pace to match the fog. It lightened just enough to show pavement ahead.
******
As she drove, the fog thinned. The road stretched straight, but rose and fell gently over hills. Please be there. Oh, please be there. Be there, little motel. Be there weird coffee shop. Please be there, Josie.
I'm waiting for you, child.
Josie's voice filled her mind, clear as if she stood beside her. Alex shook her head, then laughed, close to hysteria. Maybe this was what insanity felt like. Relief flooded through her. She didn’t know why, but she believed that voice.
I've clearly lost it... Her brain babbled at high speed, but she wasn’t really listening. She turned up the radio a little more, as the station played unfamiliar songs. The fog lifted, and she pressed harder on the gas.
When she finally pulled into the motel parking lot, Josie was already outside, leaning on the railing. Alex cranked down the car window, too tired to move or speak.
"Still got your key, kiddo?" Alex burst into tears.
Josie came round to the driver's side and hugged her through the open window. "I can't get home, Josie! I can't! The road keeps changing! The phone won't work! I'm stuck, I don’t know what to do! I have to get home. My mom must be worried sick... and Luna! Oh God, Josie. And Tara! I have to deal with THAT situation! I'm gonna have to get a restraining order or something. I can't get her to leave me alone, and I have to go back to work, and she keeps showing up there, and she really scares me, and I'm afraid she'll-"
"Stop." Josie stepped back, her voice gentle, but undeniably a command. "You're alright. She's not here. She CAN'T come here. Now get your key, and go take a shower and we'll get some dinner, alright? Maybe some pie."
"I don’t have the..." Alex fumbled her way out of the car and to her feet, jamming her hands in her pockets. She felt something she didn’t expect.
"Get your key. Take a shower. I'll be waiting right here and we'll walk across together," Josie said, gently but firmly.
Alex stared at her, lip trembling. "What is happening to me?" she whispered. Josie's tone softened, and she put an arm around Alex's shoulder.
“Some roads you take because you choose ’em. Some roads...they choose you.”