I stared out the window, watching the world blur past. Though it was still late at night, I doubted any of us could sleep, even if we tried. Without needing an explanation, I could already guess what had triggered Dad's sudden reaction. And as much as I wanted to see for myself who we were running from, part of me preferred not knowing. Sometimes, ignorance felt safer—but only for a little while.
"He got to Larry," Dad muttered suddenly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I doubt he's still alive..."
Mum reached over, resting a hand on his tense shoulder. "Williams..."
"Where are we going now, Dad?" Michael asked. "If he got to Larry, it's only a matter of time before it's us."
"We'll be safe... once we leave the country," Dad said, though the hesitation in his voice said otherwise.
For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes—a flicker of something fragile and unspoken, caught in the rearview mirror. Was this really how it would end? What had they done to Larry?
Outside, the streets were nearly empty, bathed in the glow of passing streetlights. Shadows stretched long and thin across the road, like they were trying to follow us.
"Mira, love?" Mum called softly. "You okay? You've been quiet for a while."
I forced a small smile, but I doubted she bought it. She was my mum—one of the few people in the world who could see right through me. Watching Dad's walls crumble made mine follow. He was the strongest among us, the one who kept promising we'd be safe. That we'd make it out of this unharmed. But now, I saw it—fear,
clear in those eyes that once held certainty.
For a second, I couldn't help wondering... what if we didn't make it out of this?
No. I had to be wrong, right? How could I even think that? We were going to be fine. Alive. Unharmed. Maybe this was just a terrible nightmare—one that would leave me shaken, but eventually fade like the others always did.
Yes... that explained everything.
Because how else could something out of a movie—or a fantasy book—start unfolding in real life? Vampires? That couldn't be real—right? It must be one of those strange, twisted dreams I'd never admit to anyone. Why hadn't I realized it sooner?
"Don't worry about me, Mum. I'm okay."
She sighed softly and took my hands in hers. "This will pass, my dear. Everything will be fine."
When I nodded, she turned to Dad, who kept his eyes on the road. I couldn't tell if it was real focus or just something to hold onto. Mum seemed like the only one still holding it together. She placed her hand on Dad's arm, steadying him with the kind of reassurance only she could give. Someone had to be strong now that he wasn't.
"Everything will be fine," I whispered again, turning back to the window.
We'd been driving for thirty minutes now—thirty long minutes to put miles between us and whoever had gotten to Larry. My grip tightened around my skirt as I imagined what would've happened, If we had all stayed in the same hotel...
Would we still be alive?
No... that was too absurd.
Then again, everything about this was absurd.
Shifting in my seat, I glanced behind the car for no real reason. Not knowing who—or what—we were running from made everything feel like a threat. My eyes landed on a sleek black car trailing a few lengths behind us. Its dark windows matched the deep black of its wheels. If this were any other time, Michael would've gone on about how cars like that were superior to jeeps. And I, proudly team-jeep, would've argued right back, drilling it into his thick skull how powerful and high-up jeeps made you feel.
A sigh slipped out as I sank deeper into my thoughts. I'd let Michael win every argument for the rest of my life if it meant things could just go back to normal. Maybe I had been too hard on low cars. My lips tugged up slightly. If Michael heard me say that, I'd never hear the end of it.
I shifted back to my position and let my head rest against the window. This had to be a dream. It had to be. And if it wasn't, then the universe was missing a perfect cue to make it one—right here, right now.
I shut my eyes, trying to find comfort in my own thoughts. They say time pass more faster dreams —maybe that was why everything feels so rushed.
This must be one of those bizarre, twisted dreams I'd never dare to tell anyone about. If Mum ever heard it, she'd probably drag me to a church and have me prayed over.
It was probably Michael's fault. He must've made me watch one of those creepy, AI-recommended horror films again—picked especially for me because he still believed all girls fantasized about vampires and werewolves.
Okay, fine. It wasn't entirely untrue. He remembered how I used to obsess over them in my early teens. But that was only because the authors I liked back then made them seem like devilly safe creatures—dangerous in theory, but not enough to run from. Fiction always kept a safe distance. And maybe that's why the female leads always fought it so hard before finally giving in.
Not that I hated those times. Of course, every age had its own sweetness. But, a twenty-one-year old girl should've outgrown obsessing over fantasy creatures. These days, things like that were more for passing time —something light, something fun. Not the kind of thing you clung to like gospel. Vampires, werewolves, all of it—they weren't real. Just fiction we willingly believed to help us get lost in a story. Which was exactly why everything happening now had to be a dream.
"Woah, Mira, look!"
I lazily opened my eyes and turned toward Michael, who was peering intently out the back window.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Look behind us," he said, his voice lower now. "That black car is sick. I told you jeeps are trash compared to these. I wonder what brand and model it is."
I followed his gaze and spotted the car that had caught his attention. "Oh, that one—I saw it earlier. I think you might be right about—"
I froze. Earlier?
That had been a while... hadn't it? Was my brain just twisting things up ? Or had that car really been behind us all this time?
Dad suddenly turned down a new road, and I held my breath, waiting.
Waiting to see if the car would follow.
"Shit," Michael muttered when the car didn't appear. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
Okay... maybe I was overthinking.
I relaxed back in my seat and glanced at Michael, trying to shift the mood. "I think you're right about jeeps being—"
"It's back!" he interrupted, his eyes lighting up. "I knew I was right! I mean, yeah, there are some cool jeeps too, but those—hey, are you okay?"
I stared at him, wide-eyed, as he dropped down from his kneeling position and settled beside me.
"Mira?" he called again, pulling me out of my thoughts. "What's wrong?"
"I... I think we're being followed." My words rang in my ears like warning bells.