Part time tales

The Motor Way

In a layby two men stand outside their red car, its tire as flat as a pancake as the light beguines to fade out from the world, the child in the back seat lays in a deep sleep ignorant to the world around her.

"I knew this was going to happen".

"you had no idea this was going to happen".

"quiet, you're going to wake Susie".

"and now you care about waking her".

The two men discuss, lowering their voices as to not wake up the little girl, the other man holds off responding and instead investigates the wooded area adjacent to the layby.

The wind picks up, colliding with the trees, and shaking the small red car with its strengthened gale force.

"hey, have you called a maintenance vehicle yet" the slightly smaller man says, rolling up the selves of his blue woollen jumper.

"what, I thought you did" the other man replies.

"dame it Eric, what the hell, can't you just do one simple thing" the man in blue says.

"I'm sorry but last time I checked I wasn't driving the car when it went bust so..." Eric says, walking away from the other man, and around to the passenger side of the car and placing his cold hand on the even colder handle.

As his door opens something moves in the bushes behind him, its noticeably heavy movements causing Eric to believe it not to be wind.

"Dane, did you hear that" Eric says, spooked by the sound from behind him.

"no, I didn't and be quiet" he says uttering a few words under his breath, he looks in on the little girl in her car seat, stirring as the wind shakes the car, Eric pushes his door shut, peeking his head down to check on Susie as he steps towards the woods.

He switches the light from his phone on and points it into the bushes, "what are you doing get back here" Dane calls to Eric, as his light passes over an eye red as blood that look at them through the foliage, Eric not noticing the threatening iris turns back to Dane.

Cars still pass them, the roads never resting as the relentless vehicles pass over them.

"what do you want" Eric responds.

"do you think we could fix this" Dane asks in a defeated tone, his head aimed to the ground.

"I'm not sure, why not just call out a maintenance vehicle or, I'm shore that she wouldn't mind taking us back, we could pick the car up tomorrow" Eric suggests.

"no, I can't call her, she... she would hold this against me, she already told me that Susie didn't want to come this weekend, I... we just need to get back, the sooner the better, now do you think we could fix the wheel or not" Dane asks again, with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"it's getting dark, I don't know man" Eric says, placing his hand on Dane's shoulder, "I mean, my uncle was a mechanic, I've changed a few tires but, were going to need to do this fast, I don't like the feeling of this place" Eric says putting a smile on Dane's face.

The two head to the boot of the car, with Dane looking in on Susie who remains asleep as he passes her window.

They open the boot, allowing for a flood of cold air to jet into the car chilling every surface of the vehicle's interior.

Eric passes the lug wrench and jack to Dane before pulling the tire from the back of the car, the suspension bounces before stabilizing itself as Eric drops the tire to the ground, his hands still firmly gripped around it.