Consumed

With no warning a hand slammed against the glass window on the driver’s side. They all jumped as no one had seen the person approach. Joel turned to see a rough looking man peering in. His clothes were tatty, his face was gaunt and unshaven, his dark brown hair messed up as though he had recently crawled through a hedge backwards.

Joel wound the window down, “Can I help you?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you… Was just wondering if you guys could help me out…”

“What’s up?” Dan called from the middle section of the van.

The stranger leaned in, making Joel feel uncomfortable in the process, to address Dan, “Hi… Sorry… It’s just that I…” The stranger stopped when he saw Hayley. He couldn’t help but smile at her beauty. She, in turn, smiled back at him — more out of politeness than anything else. “Oh, hi…” the man said.

“Hi,” said Hayley.

“You were saying?” asked Joel. He shifted forward in his seat forcing the stranger to pull his head out of the van.

“I broke down a little down the way. Just walked down here to use the phone… Just wondered if you’d mind driving me back to my car. My brother’s picking me up with his tow truck…”

“You didn’t think to ask him to collect you from here?”

The stranger paused. “No. No, I didn’t. So… A lift?”

Hayley leaned forward, “He seems nice enough… Give him a….”

Joel cut her off, “I’m sorry. We don’t even know you…”

“Does that matter?” the stranger asked. “It’s just a few miles in that direction…”

Joel continued, “And we’re running late. Not a lot of fuel… Heading in that direction. I’m sorry.”

“Come on, it’ll take you ten minutes max…”

“And I’m sure it won’t take you long to walk it. I’m sorry.”

Joel pressed his foot on the accelerator before the man could say anything and the van pulled away from the petrol station’s tatty forecourt.

“Whoa! What’s all that about!” Dan said from behind Joel and Michael.

“We don’t have the time or the petrol,” Joel spat — his temper frayed.

“That’s cold,” Dan moaned.

“And if we run empty,” Joel said to Michael, “you’re pushing. Got it?”

CHAPTER THREE

Joel was sat, twisted in his seat, staring at Michael who was refusing to budge.

“You weren’t joking?” asked Michael.

Joel didn’t say anything. He let the stern, pissed off, expression on his face do the talking.

Lara called out from the back of the van, “I don’t have any signal either.” A quick look on their phones revealed none of them had any network coverage with which to call for help.

“I’m not pushing,” said Michael. He looked out of the windscreen at the road ahead which seemed to stretch for miles and miles — as far as the eye could so. Nothing but fields and trees in the distance — the latter hiding signs of any civilization. “I’m sure someone will be along any minute.”

“Well let’s hope they deal with stranded people better than we did,” said Dan.

“If we had helped him, we’d have broken down sooner!” Joel replied indignantly.

“Which, in turn, meant we’d have been closer to the petrol station…” Dan continued.

“Would that be the same petrol station which had run out of fuel?” asked Joel.

“At least they had a telephone,” Dan fired back.

“I thought all the arguments had stopped now?” whined Charlotte.

“That’s before I realised what a cock Michael was,” said Joel.

“What the fuck?! I wasn’t even arguing — it was Dan!” Michael pointed out.

Joel opened the van door and stepped onto the road. Without saying anything else, he turned and slammed the door shut.

“So what now?” asked Hayley.

“Now he gets to breathe some fresh country-air in and calm down,” said Lara. “He’ll be fine in a minute.” Lara knew better than anyone else in the van how hot-headed Joel could get when he was stressed. She also knew it never took a lot to get him to that level either. “Just give him some space.”

Michael didn’t say anything, he just sat there with a sheepish look upon his face.

“And then what?” Hayley continued.

“And then we continue sitting here, waiting for someone to come by… Or… Or we pitch the tents up in one of those fields…”

“Because that will help get the van fixed?” asked Charlotte.

“It will give us somewhere to stay for the night. Michael can sit up and keep watch for passing traffic,” Dan pointed out.

“Seems fair,” said Lara.

Michael turned to her, “And you wonder why Joel sent you that text?”

“Fuck you.”

“And what if we don’t want to go with any of those options?” asked Charlotte — ignoring the potential argument between Lara and Michael.

“Well then I guess we have a hike… Pick a direction and head off to try and find some help… Or a phone to get help. I don’t know… I didn’t put us in this position and I don’t have the answers… Jesus…” Dan opened the door and stepped out to join Joel. He too slammed the door. Not because he was in a mood with anyone, he just couldn’t be dealing with anymore of their questions. Especially when he didn’t have the answers they desperately wanted.

“What’s wrong with him?” asked Charlotte.