At Night

"Well, time for an hour and a half long car ride."

It was Ben that made that comment to the group, a weary smile on his face that showed his lack of excitement. The man was sitting in the passenger side of the car beside her as she sat in the front seat with her hands on the steering wheel already. There was a noise in the back as David clambered into the car and buckled himself up, and another click as Ben did the same. She didn't respond to Ben's comment and just waited. She herself was already prepared and buckled up with the car shifted to park, so she shifted it into drive easily and backed out into the moderately filled streets. She was bundled up today, along with everyone else in the car and wearing a fuzzy black coat and hat. Glancing over her shoulder, she entered the street and started driving in silence.

The two other people in the car didn't bother speaking for a moment, until David asked, "So, what prompted this?" She could see him in the mirror overhead as the car rumbled down the road. It was a cool day today - the kind that made people feel tempted to stay inside and drink hot coco and sit around the fireplace. Maybe that was why he spoke up?

She hummed absently and answered smoothly, "I thought we could, just, do something fun." She gave her answer with a hand movement and felt her elevated pulse slowly return to normal. She answered. That was a normal answer. Nothing weird. She shouldn't have to be nervous around them, but she even she knew just how thin of ice she was on now. There wouldn't be a second chance. She had kept her guard up; she had to figure out how to stop those hallucinations. Even though, he was just there, pressed down under her body with her hands on cold metal. Her fingers tapped at the steering wheel as she drove.

"Ah..."

David didn't make any further comment, brows furrowed deeply in thought. Did he suspect anything? It was possible, she figured, but she didn't know how to draw the information out. It would seem too weird. Or it would if she was in his position, she thought to herself, slowing to a stop at the stop sign. Looking both ways, she went through the motions of driving.

The car ride was quiet. Just the way she liked it. No noises and stuff to distract her as she drove down the road and turned on her right turn signal to turn, turning out of the city and into a place more quiet place. She could see Ben typing something on his phone, but she couldn't really pay attention to it now. She rubbed her eyes, checked the mirrors, glanced behind her to see no one for miles in either direction, and fiddled with the radio.

She felt restless, her leg tapping against the floor.

Clicking her tongue, she broke the silence herself to probe with a simple: "So, any thoughts about the plan?"

This brought the attention of both of them to her in a heartbeat and she swallowed with her throat feeling slightly tighter. It wasn't a weird plan. Just a normal one where they went out and ate somewhere out of town as friends and maybe poked around at the shops. Maybe she just wanted an excuse to get out of town for a bit, she told herself as she drove down the road, blinking her tired eyes.

"Sounds nice." That was Ben beside her. "Some warning would have been nice."

"Yeah." David agreed. "Would be nice to get out of town."

For some strange reason, she laughed, surprising herself even. It was only a small chuckle, but it slipped out. Some of the tension dissolved and she shifted in her seat. She felt more comfortable, but not quite safe. "Yeah." Maybe, she was just so stressed she would burst of laughing, because minds were weird when under pressure