by S. S. Segran
6
Someone was shaking Mariah’s knee. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Jag and Tegan looking at her. “Oh, hi,” she said, letting out a large yawn. She noticed Tegan seemed a bit groggy, then realized that Kody and Aari were asleep on either side of her. “Gosh, how long have we been out?”
“A few hours,” Jag answered.
Mariah was apologetic. “And no one kept you company?”
He smiled. “Nah, but I’m fine. Mind waking the two clowns up?”
Mariah picked up the box of donuts and took one out. She held it in front of Kody’s face until the scent reached him and his nose began to twitch. His eyes eased open after a few moments. When he saw the donut, he sat up and took it from Mariah. “Now that’s the proper way to wake a man up,” he said approvingly as he took a bite.
Mariah rolled her eyes and shook Aari’s shoulder. As he sluggishly awoke, he gazed out the window. The sun was only just beginning to set, so it was still quite bright out. She realized that they were parked on the side of a somewhat busy street and leaned forward curiously so she was between Jag and Tegan. “Where are we?”
“Salt Lake City,” Tegan answered.
“We’re already in Utah?”
“Yep. It’s almost eight, so we’re trying to find somewhere to eat before getting a place to rest.”
“See if you can find a Denny’s,” Kody suggested.
“Sure . . . okay, yeah. There are a few.” Tegan tapped the GPS screen a couple of times and the robotic voice of a woman came on, giving directions. Jag guided the car back onto the road and drove along.
It was nearly ten minutes later when they saw the yellow sign of the diner just off the road, with a motel nearby. The parking lot was half-filled with cars and motorcycles. Jag, who Mariah knew wasn’t fond of parking near so many vehicles, drove toward a back lot where there were no cars.
The friends hopped out of the Jeep and made their way toward the diner, stopping only to let a red Mustang drive past as the driver searched for a spot to park. Mariah thought she saw the man behind the wheel scrutinize them for a fleeting moment.
Inside, they sat in a booth and ordered to their heart’s content; Kody naturally ordering the most. They chatted for a while as they waited for their meals to arrive. Mariah looked up and happened to see a man sitting alone at another booth, sipping his drink and fiddling with his phone. She stared at him for a moment, wondering why he seemed so familiar, then realized that it was the driver of the Mustang.
The man glanced up from his phone and caught her eye. She quickly looked away—it was strange how some people seemed to almost have a sixth sense about being watched.
“I can’t wait to hit those Carpinteria beaches,” Tegan said dreamily. “Just lying in the sun with a good book . . . you may have to drag me away from there when it’s time to leave.”
“Carpinteria?” A young man sitting at a table beside them and having pancakes for dinner looked up. He had short, honey-colored hair and a bright smile that was as sweet as it was rascally. “You guys heading that way? It’s quite a drive.”
Tegan nodded. “It is. And we’ll be checking out other places in California as well.”
“Have you been to Cali before?”
“When we were younger, yeah. Our families went together. Don’t remember much about it, though.”
The young man’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you’re going to love it there. I’m driving that way, too. Took a week off work so I can visit my girlfriend in Morro Bay.”
Mariah smiled. “A week off to be with your girlfriend? That’s really sweet. What do you do?”
“I work for a security contractor.”
The friends all tilted their heads. The guy was slim-bodied and didn’t even touch the six-foot mark in height. He most certainly didn’t seem threatening in his flannel shirt, skinny jeans, and striped socks with penny loafers.
He noted their looks and laughed. “I know what you’re thinking. I actually have black belts in taekwondo, karate and judo.” When he saw that they didn’t believe him, he pulled out his phone and tapped it a few times, then passed it to them. “Proof. Go through the album.”
Tegan took the phone and held it, the others craning their necks to get a closer look at the screen. Jag let out a low whistle as she swiped through the photos of the honey-haired fellow sparring in the black belt division of various martial arts competitions. “Dude, that’s insane.”
“Looks are deceiving, aren’t they?” Kody muttered in awe.
Tegan passed the phone back to its owner. “We didn’t mean to doubt you, it’s just . . . ”
The young man laughed again. “Don’t worry about it. But that’s the beauty, right? I don’t look like I can defend myself, but if someone ever tries to best me, they’d be in for a nasty surprise!”
Jag grinned. “Good stuff.” He reached past the others and held out his hand. “I’m Jag, by the way. And these guys and girls are Aari, Tegan, Mariah and Kody.”
“Pleasure making your acquaintances. Name’s Anthony, but you can call me Tony.” He shook Jag’s hand.
The five chatted with him until their meals arrived a few minutes later, at which point Tony smiled at them and returned to eating his pancakes.
The friends gladly dug into their food. “Who’s paying, by the way?” Kody asked as he munched through his dinner.
The others just stared at him and grinned in response. He stared back at them, then groaned. “I had to ask . . . ”
While the five ate and laughed over stories, Mariah couldn’t help but notice that the Mustang driver in the other booth constantly glanced in their direction. He had a rather imposing air about him and Mariah felt a bit uncomfortable.
They spent nearly an hour in the diner before Jag finally said, “Alright, we should find a place to stay the night. We’ve got another early morning tomorrow.”
“What about that motel right across the street?” Mariah asked. “It looks decent enough.”
“Let’s go check it out, then. Kode-man, you’re up.”
Kody grumbled as he grabbed his root beer and trotted to the counter to pay for their dinner. The group then said goodbye to Tony before leaving.
As they headed toward the exit, Mariah saw the bearded man get up. He ignored them completely as he went to the cashier, but Mariah still felt uneasy and hurried the others out of the door.
They walked past the rows of cars until they came upon the Jeep parked in the back. Mariah saw the red Mustang parked a few slots away from them and frowned slightly as the five of them got into their vehicle and buckled in.
Jag was starting up the engine when a knock on his window startled them all. They looked out to see who it was. Mariah’s eyes widened when she saw that it was the bearded man who had been surveilling them.
As Jag was about to press down on the button to lower his window, Mariah stopped him. “What are you doing?”
“Seeing what this man wants.”
“I don’t think we should.”
“Why is that?”
“I . . . I don’t know. We should just get going.”
“That would be kind of rude. Look, he’s holding up a map. I think he needs directions.” Before Mariah could protest further, Jag lowered his window and smiled at the man. “Hello, sir.”
“Hiya.” The man’s voice was low and pleasant, his smile cheery and disarming. Mariah noticed some scars on the left side of his face as he brought up his large map to show to Jag. “Could you tell me where exactly we are on this thing? My phone died and I have no GPS, so I’m stuck using this dinosaur.”
Jag chuckled. “Sure. We’re just passing through here ourselves, actually, but we are right—” As he raised his finger to the map, the man suddenly shoved the chart toward Jag. Mariah heard a quick metallic clinking before seeing the man toss a spherical object through the window. Jag let out an oath. Before anyone could react, a pall of light blue smoke filled up the car completely.
Mariah felt her chest
tighten at once as her breathing shortened. She tried to yell out but it was as if invisible hands were wrapped around her neck, choking her. Terrified, she reached out to the others for help but saw them all struggling to breathe through the strangling smoke as well.
Jag was the first to open his door and throw himself out. Tegan followed suit, as did Aari and Kody. Mariah was the last one out of the vehicle. She fell onto the gravel as she desperately tried to gasp for air. Her airway, filled with smoke, rendered her attempts futile. After several panic-filled moments, she finally felt minute streams of fresh air seep into her lungs. With a glimmer of hope, she gulped in as much as she could.
She lay on the ground for a while, feeling weak, before slowly rolling onto her back and covering her face with her hands. The sounds of the others’ sputtering and gasping reached her ears as they lay on the asphalt, splayed and exhausted.
It took a couple of minutes before Jag was able to pull himself up. “You guys alright?” he wheezed.
“Think so,” Mariah answered feebly.
Aari coughed for a bit before replying. “Well, I can breathe now . . . ”
‘Yeah’ was all Kody could say before he resumed sucking in air.
“Teegs?” Jag called.
“I’m okay,” Tegan responded from the other side of the Jeep. “Just trying to get my breath back.”
The friends eventually got to their feet and staggered to the front of the vehicle. “What just happened?” Kody rasped. “Who was that man?”
“And where is he?” Mariah looked around; their assailant was nowhere to be found, and neither was the red Mustang.
“He drove off,” Jag said angrily before erupting into a series of coughs. “We should report this.”
A silver SUV pulled up beside them. To Mariah’s surprise, Tony jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward them. “Hey, you guys okay?” he asked, frantic.
“Yeah, I think so.” Jag dusted himself off. “Thanks.”
“What happened?”
“Some guy acted like he wanted directions. Next thing we know, he popped a smoke bomb into the car and drove off.”
“Any one of you know him?”
The five shook their heads.
“Going after a bunch of kids . . . that’s just sick.” “that’s just sick.” Tony stared at the exit of the parking lot, eyes narrowed. “You know what, you guys stay here. I’ll be right back. Do you know what car he was driving?”
“It was a red Mustang.”. Mariah was weary. “But what are you—”
“Stay put!” Tony was already running back to his SUV. “I’ll be back as soon as I can!”
The friends watched the silver vehicle tear out of the parking lot. “What is he doing?” Aari asked, bewildered, between sporadic coughs. “Is he really going to go after that jerk?”
“He’s like a guardian with black belts in multiple forms of self-defense.” Kody paused dreamily. “You know, I kinda like that.”
Mariah sighed and rubbed her eyes as Jag took it upon himself to check over every one to ensure that they were, in fact, alright.
It was nearly fifteen minutes later when the SUV returned to the diner’s parking lot and pulled up beside the friends. Tony got out, wearing a look of satisfaction. “That guy’s not going to be bothering anyone anytime soon.”
Jag looked over at him. “What did you do?”
Tony shrugged and smiled a little. “Taught him a lesson he’s bound not to forget. Don’t worry. You guys are safe.”
Kody pumped Tony’s hand eagerly. “Thanks, man. Really. We owe you one.”
Tony gave him an almost reprimanding look. “No, you don’t. I’m just glad I could help in some way.” He nodded at the others. “You guys found a place to rest tonight?”
“We were gonna check out that motel there,” Aari said, pointing to the building across from the diner.
Tony grimaced when he saw the motel. “I wouldn’t suggest staying there. Weird stuff goes down inside—not particularly family-friendly. There’s a hotel a few blocks away where I’m staying. I’d recommend that one. Not too expensive either.”
Jag nodded. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
“Anytime. I could lead you guys there. Just follow my car.” The young man turned and started toward his vehicle.
“Sure,” Jag called out after him, then shepherded the others into the Jeep.
Inside, Mariah picked up the small glass container that had been tossed in and was about to chuck it out of the window when Aari intercepted her.
“I’d like to have a look at it later,” he explained when she looked at him questioningly.
Jag pulled out of the parking lot and followed the SUV down the road. They turned into a small but clean hotel a few minutes later and got out. As they stood in front of the building, sizing it up, Tony joined them. “Not too shabby, right?” he asked.
Jag gave a half-smile. “Nope. Just hope there are a couple of rooms available. And thank you again, by the way. We really appreciate your help.”
“Hey, don’t even mention it. Come on, let’s get you checked in.”
“Hold on, someone’s gotta make the call,” Mariah reminded her friends.
They stared at her blankly. She folded her arms. “We call one of our parents every night we check into a hotel, remember?”
“Oh! Right, right. I’ll do it.” Aari took out his cell phone. “You guys go ahead, I’ll join you in a bit.”
Later, the teenagers gathered their bags and headed up the elevator to the fifth floor where they found their rooms, which were right across from Tony’s.
“Alright, I’ll be on my way now,” Tony said, stretching. “I’m exhausted. Have a good night, guys.” He waved at the friends before entering his room.
Tegan turned to Aari. “So what exactly did you tell your parents when you called?”
Aari wore a sheepish look. “That we’d arrived safely in Utah and just checked into a hotel. I opted out of telling them about the, ah, incident. I mean, just imagine how they’d react. On the first day of our road trip, we get attacked by some lunatic with a smoke grenade. We’ll never be allowed to leave our rooms until we’re forty. And even then they’ll probably have us on a short leash.”
The others exchanged uncertain looks, then Jag grunted. “Aari’s got a point. I’d hate to have our trip cut short within the first fourteen hours because of some nutcase. And you guys know that we need this.”
“And Tony did deal with him,” Kody added. “No need to worry anyone.”
“Yeah . . . alright.” Tegan heaved a sigh and opened the door to the room she and Mariah were sharing. “I’m really tired. Bedtime for me.”
Mariah yawned. “And me. Good night, you three.”
Jag smiled as the guys headed into their room as well. “Sleep tight, ladies.”
* * *
It was half past three in the morning when Jag woke with an outcry. He threw his blanket off and stumbled into the bathroom, slapping the wall, trying to find the switch. The light came on, nearly blinding him, but he didn’t care and quickly turned on the tap to splash ice-cold water on his face. His undershirt became soaked but he didn’t notice as he stared himself in the mirror, eyes stretched wide.
Aari and Kody poked their heads in. “Hey, what’s the matter?” Aari slurred, looking confused and sleepy.
“I—nothing. Nothing at all.”
Kody snorted. “I’m not even going to tell you how weak that sounds. Come on, Jag. Nightmare?”
Jag continued to stare at himself for a while longer, then picked up a towel and dried his face and neck. He remained silent, which annoyed the other two.
“Jag, we’ve been best friends all our lives,” Aari said. “If you can’t talk to us, then something is really wrong.”
Jag glanced at them. “It was a nightmare.”
“There you go,” Kody said triumphantly and turned to walk back to his bed.
“No, hold on.” Aari grabbed Kody by the collar of his shirt and yan
ked him back. “Jag, this isn’t like you. I know there’s more to this. What’s going on?”
Jag took a deep breath. As he opened his mouth to tell them the story of his recurring nightmare, there was a scream, followed moments later by frantic pounding on their door. The boys hurried over and opened it. Tegan staggered in, Mariah following closely with a worried look on her face. Tony was behind them in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, his hair tousled.
“What’s wrong?” Jag asked, alarmed, as he reached out to hold Tegan.
“I heard a scream and ran out of my room to find these two in the hallway,” Tony said, sounding as if he’d just woken up. He cocked his head at the girls. “What happened?”
“She had a nightmare,” Mariah started, “and she woke—”
“Nightmare?” Aari interrupted. Frowning, he pointed at Jag. “She’s not the only one.”
“Hey, Teegs, come here.” Jag gently guided Tegan to a chair and sat her down. Slowly, he asked, “What was the nightmare about?”
She covered her face with her hands. “There was . . . I was in a battle or something. I saw a woman collapse in front of my eyes. There was blood on her. A . . . a bullet wound to her chest.” She absently rested a hand under her left collarbone, presumably where the bullet had struck the woman in her dream. “And what makes me feel sick is that it felt real. All my senses were engaged throughout. I could smell things and hear screams and . . . and it was as if I was actually there.”
As Jag listened, he felt the blood drain from his face. “Did the dream end there?”
“No. It went dark at one point and I thought it was over, but then a voice spoke. Directly to me.”
Jag paled further. “What did it say?”
Tegan just shook her head and slumped down in the chair, looking spent. Aari got her a glass of water, of which she only took a sip.
There was a pregnant silence, broken a minute later by Tony. “At least it was just a dream. I thought someone was attacking them.” He went over and gave Tegan a comforting pat on the shoulder. “You should get back to sleep.”