Human Interaction

Chapter 3

Song ~ Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

Cars and trucks littered the streets, like empty husks only good for the gas in their tank and the battery. Kaiser was thankful for the remnants of them; as he stood siphoning up gas from an old ford escape and switching over to his little Toyota Tacoma ninety-five.

He stopped in Kentucky to gather some more supplies, and to stretch out his legs before he approached the scattered highway, filled with nothing but corpses and rusted cars. The highways were like skeleton's, stripped of its flesh long ago by the stranded Surfacers. All that remained was concrete structures themselves, no glass, no wood, nothing the Surfacers could use.

Kaiser couldn't read but the pictures he found in books helped him achieve just what he needed; hot-wiring cars, siphoning gas. He had 'stolen' so many great cars in his time and somehow old red has kept him, safe.

He could feel the cold gas through his gloved hands, a sign that the fuel he was siphoning was almost up. The cold of the night licked at his face and crept under his clothes, spreading across his skin like the lacy tide on a frigid winter beach.

He smiled to himself; he couldn't wait to feel the warmth on his skin.

What drew him to Florida?

His mother; she always told him of the beauty of the spreading sunrise, pinkish glow, clouds tinted, colors spread across the sky announcing the new day, and when she talked about her homeland it made her glow. Her light was so bright, a single mother moving to Montanna for a better life and she was taken away.

He glanced around the perimeter, checking for any movement amongst this dead-end town. Sometimes Surfacers paired in groups which made him an easy target, he avoided them as much and was always careful of his surroundings may be more than. They've attempted before to take his belongings, even forcing him to join their group but with force and hostility, Kaiser escaped for another town over.

He decides to turn back to his truck which was parked less than ten feet away, holding his gas can and started hauling ass.

Voices babbled angrily like a volcano spitting up magma, rich with fighting words they were coming at him at that moment the quiet had become like icy drips onto already cold skin. Kaiser stopped, ears straining.

He turned around, eyes taking in every detail, seeing an older man stepped out from behind a sun-bleached green van. "Hey, boy. Wanna play a game?"

Kaiser's hands were now empty, throwing away the gas can, as he reached for his rifle. But given the sudden scuffles coming from all around Kaiser knew this was it, this was the promised ambush.

All the men surrounded him, laid out in strategic positions, each with a different weapon, and standing there with smiles that didn't match the situation. He was always so careful and he let his guard down, he knew better than to let thoughts of Florida distract him.

He cursed to himself and glanced along to count how many men has him surrounded.

Nine.

"Boy, when I talk I expect you to answer." An oily voice greased back hair, hunched back, piercing black eyes, a false smile, seemed like they were watching him for longer than he thought, as a slight smile presses on the older man's face.

Kaiser shook his head, his best thought was to ignore him and his groupies. He wouldn't talk even if they tortured him.

The distance was all that mattered. Kaiser wasn't stopping for anything and he sure as hell won't allow them the opportunity or the satisfaction of kidnapping him, he slammed into his truck and placed his foot heavy to the pedal.

The hiss of the tires over the smooth tarmac as he gazed up at the rearview mirror to see the green van riding his ass, but what he didn't notice was the truck approaching him from the right. T-boned him; he barely had time to scream before the airbags knocked him back and sideways. His truck tumbling over and over into the central barrier before coming to an absolute stop. Silence; it scared Kaiser more than the pain. He tried to move but he was pinned by the collapsing roof and the steering column, he looked behind the small rear window and attempted to crawl out.

Kaiser knew he had to run, he couldn't allow them the satisfaction. He glanced around to see the other trucks front end crunched up, the gas leaking out of the truck as the boy inside looked no younger the sixteen. He was unconscious and with the amount of gas pouring out Kaiser couldn't let a young boy die, he browsed the area noticing the green van approaching faster than expected. He reached out and yanked the young man out of the truck setting him against a pillar of the bridge.

He began to run, his breath came in small spurts, hot and nervous. At his sides, tanned fingers curled into sweaty fists, swinging forward as if it would make him faster. Behind him, he could hear the baying howls of the men and jeering laughter of his enemies. Mud smeared his sweaty face as sweat dripped from his matted hair, blood trickling down the side of his face, blood coating his eye.

  The yellow shining sun started rising from the ground. It filled the sky with mighty colors of red and splashed the clouds with endless rays of pink. It was bright and mesmerizing as it inviting Kaiser to stare, deep into the horizon 'Please let me live to see the sunrise again' he cried to himself, throwing himself forward with even greater abandon. His lungs and heart were pumping, but the air didn't seem to be enough as he sprinted forward, panic trembling in his exhausted limbs. He reached the train tracks, but his conscious was slipping away.

His eyesight blurred, everything became fuzzy; then he saw nothing at all. Kaiser's head was filled with empty space filled, hearing faint footsteps approaching him following along with his heart pounded, echoing into his ears, finally feeling his body drain away until finally, all was black.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year! Let's hope for a great year and more stories to be told! Also please join my book club!

Love, Briann.