Run: Day 4

Word Count: 24,276

Summary of Events:

Corbin spent most of the day doing unexpected work to get the car running, including getting a new battery, helping change the oil, and buying supplies from a long list compiled by DaNiel, who was frustrated by the appalling slowness of the internet, which was preventing him from mapping out their route. Early the following morning Corbin was woken by DaNiel and got ready quickly before discovering, to his shock, that DaNiel meant to delay for breakfast before setting out . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

“You’re going to waste all the darkness,” Ty snapped through his teeth.

“Look, it’s four in the morning, we have two and a half hours until the sun rises, we have enough darkness,” DaNiel replied. “We have two hours before it’s light enough outside to see shapes, we will be fine. Now go put your backpack by mine and grab some breakfast.”

“We could still be seen,” Ty hissed.

“The world never sleeps, we’re going to be seen no matter what,” DaNiel hissed back.

“Less people are awake at nighttime,” Ty hissed.

“Just grab some food,” DaNiel swore, turning his attention to his freshly-popped toast.

Ty waited for DaNiel to move to the dining room before preparing his own toast, seething at the thought that they were wasting precious darkness having breakfast when they could always eat some of the snacks they’d packed.

Sure, outside of the granola bars there wasn’t really any wholesome breakfast food among the snacks, but even still, the fact that they were wasting this time was more than a little frustrating to Ty, who felt they’d wasted enough time with all the shopping he’d had to do buying more stuff than he personally thought they’d need for the trip.

The two of them ate quickly before rather quietly rinsing the crumbs off their plates and setting them in the dishwasher — as Ty wouldn’t be around to put them away alter when they were dry and he didn’t want Mom to come into the kitchen and break them randomly — before each taking up their backpack and heading into the garage.

DaNiel opened the trunk and Ty heaved his backpack inside roughly while DaNiel put his down gently before slamming the trunk shut.

Ty went to the front passenger door and slid inside while DaNiel got into the driver’s seat, holding out his flat palm to Ty, who stared at it blankly.

“You have the key I need to drive this thing,” DaNiel said.

Ty pulled the key from his jeans pocket and handed it to DaNiel who, after pressing the button on the remote to open the garage door, inserted the key into the ignition and started the car. Ty felt resentful as he watched DaNiel shift the car into reverse and felt the machine slowly start rolling backwards out of the garage.

They stopped once the car was completely outside the garage and watched as the door slowly lowered, hiding the carless space from sight before slowly reversing, with DaNiel gently turning the wheel so the rear of the car moved to the right as it rolled over the soft curb of sidewalk and onto the asphalt.

Letting the wheel slide with a whispering sound through his hands, DaNiel then shifted the car into drive and they started forward. If only Ty could drive he wouldn’t have needed DaNiel with him and could’ve left sooner, but at least they were finally on their way; all he could hope now was that the killer-lady wasn’t lurking anywhere watching them.