Ancil“You think that they’re okay?” Rajiv asked Megan.
“I hope so,” Megan said. “I really hope so.”
“I have a vehicle, maybe we could go see if they’re okay,” I suggested.
“Yes, thank God. Let’s do that,” Megan said.
“Are you sure it’s safe to leave here?” Rajiv asked. “We can’t afford to make a big scene, especially since all the killers are still around.”
“You have a better idea, big man?” I asked Rajiv.
His face lit up with shock at how I responded. He probably wasn’t expecting the attitude from me. I wasn’t expecting the attitude from me either, but I had a long day and to top it all off, my major distraction from the grief in my mind was Megan and she was being gatekeeped by Rajiv.
“Yeah, Rajiv, you have a better idea?” Megan asked in agreement with me.
Rajiv stood there, the cogs turning in his brain. It was now two of us, against him.
“Hmmmm,” he muttered. He then turned to me and asked, “Big man, can you drive well?”
“If I could drive well? Of course, I could drive well,” I boasted.
I couldn’t drive well. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t drive at all. I never really bothered to attempt to get my license. I was supposed to as soon as I turned seventeen, but I kept delaying the process. My friends in school described the process of getting a license, and it scared the crap out of me. I wouldn’t have to only learn how to drive an old-school grounded vehicle but also a hover vehicle which is supposedly much harder to maneuver on manual. Most hover vehicles were self-flying but in driving school you still had to learn how to fly it manually in case the self-flying capabilities failed. So instead of going for my license, I just stayed home. I wasn’t about to admit that in front of Megan, though.
“Are you all ready?” I asked.
They both said yes, and we made off toward the van. I played around a bit with the van trying to get it started. I had no idea what I was doing, but I tried to hide that fact by pretending to be looking for something on the floor. My brain eventually put things together. I turned the key in the ignition, and the old engines roared on. It was loud and echoed throughout the town of Arima as the loudest sound for miles. I cringed at how loud it was, knowing very well that anyone nearby now knew that we were here. If we going to get out of the town we had to get out fast. But, my lack of knowledge about how to operate the vehicle was slowing me down.
“They all heard you and are coming your way soldier!” My dad said in my head. “Stop messing around and figure this out. Megan and Rajiv are now counting on you and you have a responsibility to them. A duty!”
“But I don’t know how to drive a car!” I said to the construct of my father in my head.
“Well, stop whining and figure it out! Put the car in reverse, spin around, and get out of here!”
I looked down at the gear shift. R for reverse. D for drive. Okay. I put the car in reverse, spun around, then, as though I’ve been driving my whole life I took off in the other direction. I did an almost perfect three-point turn.
“Yess!” I said in the privacy of my own mind.
“Good job soldier!” My father said.
I then successfully steered the van out of the town. It was really easy, actually, with no fuss whatsoever. It was just like riding a bike. I still hesitated in pressing the acceleration as I drove really slowly, but I eventually got the hang of it as I drove out of the frying pan, and into the fire!
