Storm (Ashes & Embers 1)

“Then I guess you’ll have to hang out until they are working or until they plow the roads enough for me to drive you to town.”

I let out a big aggravated sigh. “This day sucks.”

He nods his head in agreement. “A wicked lot.”

The snow is coming down so hard and fast, we can barely see out the windshield. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen such a bad snowstorm. I’m kind of glad in a twisted way my car got stuck because I can’t even imagine trying to drive myself in this snow right now.

We drive slowly in awkward silence, and suddenly, a deer jumps out from the woods on the side of the road right in front of the truck. I scream as Sasquatch swerves and the truck starts to slide and spin, gaining speed. He throws one arm across my chest to hold me against the seat as he tries to regain control of the truck, but it’s not working. I scream again as the truck flies off the road and into the woods, crashing downhill and plowing down small trees until it finally comes to a halt wedged amongst a bunch of larger trees on the side of a hill.

“Fuck!” He slams both his hands against the steering wheel. “I can’t fucking believe this shit!” He turns to me. “And why the fuck wasn’t your seatbelt on?”

I move away from him and smash myself against the door. “I’m sorry.” My voice sounds small and weak. My heart is pounding so hard I feel like I am going to pass out.

He rests his head against the steering wheel and takes several deep breaths. “I’m sorry for yelling at ya.” He finally says, his voice level and calm, but I can see it’s a struggle for him. “Are you okay?” He’s looking at me through his sunglasses, and I can see my reflection in them.

I nod, afraid to talk. I can’t stand to hear the fear in my own voice. He reaches into the back seat and pets his dog. “You okay, Niko?” The dog whimpers and licks his hand. “He’s good,” he says, caressing the dog’s head.

He tries to restart the truck, but it’s completely dead. I can’t believe this, honestly, I just can’t.

“Wh-what are we going to do?” I ask him.

“Well, we’re out of cars, so unless you want to walk or ride the dog to my place, we’re stuck here.”

Fear rises up in me like a tidal wave. “What? What do you mean? We have to get out of here. We could freeze or starve, you said so yourself and—”

“Shh!” he yells making me jump. “Just calm the fuck down, okay? Obviously, both of the cars are fucked. We are still about a mile, maybe more, from my place, and that’s way too far to walk in this storm, especially with you wearing those fuck-me pumps.”

“Can you give it a rest about my shoes, please?”

“Whatever. The storm will probably stop tonight or sometime tomorrow, so we’re gonna have to just stay put until the plow truck comes by, and we’ll have to hitch a ride. Until then, we’re in luck because I stopped at the grocery store on the way to my cabin, so I think I have enough things we can eat and drink to keep us going until then.”

Keep us going? What the hell does that mean?

“...I have a big blanket in the back seat so we should be able to stay pretty warm. It’s really heavy and thick.”

I start to shake. I don’t know if it’s because I’m cold or scared out of my mind or maybe both. I want to get out of this truck and away from this guy and his dog right now. I beg myself not to panic, even though I know it’s inevitable. I’ve had panic attacks since I was a little girl, brought on by all sorts of things. I’m certain being stuck in a truck in the middle of the woods is definitely a perfect recipe to bring one on.

He reaches across the seat and touches my leg. “Hey, we’re gonna be okay. Don’t worry.” I cringe away from his touch and cross my arms in front of me, hugging myself.

I nod, but I refuse to talk, and he continues. “Okay, so I think we should both sit in the back seat, there’s a lot of room back there and we can put the blanket over us, I think it will help keep us warmer.”

“What about the dog?” No way in hell am I going to sit close to that animal. I wish my cat were with me. Halo is warm and sweet and would cuddle up on my lap and purr me into a comforting lull.

“...have to sit up front. He’s got a ton of fur and he’s made for the cold so he’ll be fine.”

The last thing I want to do is sit in the backseat under a blanket with this long-haired, guy-linered, sunglassed, face-pierced, cowboy hat wearing freak. What strange hell have I fallen into?

“Okay, so you climb in back and then I’ll call Niko up here, and then I’ll move back with you, all right? I know he freaks you out, but he’s not gonna hurt ya.”

I swear under my breath and climb over the seat and into the back. I arrange myself as far into a corner as I can while he maneuvers the dog into the front and then climbs into the back himself. He holds up a huge thick fleece blanket, shakes it out, and then lays it over our laps.

“It’s got some dog hair on it but at least it’s warm and clean.”

I give him a weak smile. “This will work.”

The back seat of the extended cab is pretty big, thankfully. I haven’t been in a pick-up truck in years and I don’t remember them having these huge back seats. It must be something the newer models have.

“I’ve never been in the back of a pick-up truck before, it’s nice. Roomy.” I say because I have no idea what else to say.

He smiles his crooked smile and laughs. “Um, thanks?”

“I’m just trying to make conversation. This is really awkward.”

“Yeah, it fuckin’ is in a bad way, but looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for a while so we’re gonna have to be friends for a few days. Maybe we should start with names... What’s yours?”

“Evelyn... and you?”

“Storm”

“Storm?” I repeat. “Are you kidding me?”

“Yeah... When my mom showed my dad the ultrasound photo, he said it looked like a bunch of dark storm clouds to him, so they named me Storm.”

“It must suck to have a name you have to explain the meaning of every time you meet someone.”

“No... Not at all. I like my name. At least it’s not fucking boring like Joe or Michael.”

I think of Michael and wonder what he’s doing. If I don’t call him, he’s going to start to worry about me. Maybe he’ll come looking for me and save me from this fresh hell.

Storm leans forward and starts to take off his jacket. “This got really wet. I think it’s best if I just take it off so I don’t sit here like a sponge, huh?” He folds it up and puts it on the front seat, and then he removes his hat and pushes his sunglasses up on top of his head.

My eyes are mesmerized by him and they betray the rest of me, which is trying to get as far away from him as possible. His hair is dark brown and long, a few inches past his shoulders. On the right side, two thin sections are dyed—one purple, one white. He’s wearing a black cable knit sweater with the sleeves pushed up, and I can see tattoos covering both of his arms, from his wrists up to his shoulders. I can see the artwork extending beyond the collar of his sweater, up toward his neck. I’ve never seen anyone who looks like him before, and I’m fascinated just looking at him like an exotic zoo animal. His eyes meet mine and I quickly look away.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing.”

“You were staring at me. Do you want to say something?”

“No... I didn’t mean to stare. I’ve just never seen anyone who looks like you up close before.”

He raises his brows at me and smirks. “Looks like me? Is that an insult or a compliment?”

I shake my head and squirm a bit. “Definitely not an insult.” Don’t insult the psycho.

“Lemme guess... you’re used to the jock type with short hair and their fucking preppy pants and loafers?”

I nod. “Yeah, I suppose so... I’m not used to men with eyeliner and colored stripes in their hair.”

He leans his head back against the seat and closes his eyes. “I like being different. I d

on’t feel the need to fuckin’ blend.”

I won’t admit it to him, but I admire it. Michael is a blender. I can barely tell him and his friends apart anymore, dressing the same, driving the same kind of car, short hair with a little spiky mess in the front. I suppose I’m the same, dressing like all the other women in the office, but once I’m home and alone, I can’t wait to throw on an old t-shirt, put on yoga pants, and wear pink converse sneakers.

“So, Evelyn... what kind of meeting were you heading up to?”

“It was for work.”

“I gathered that... What do you do?”

“I’m a marketing exec at a small advertising firm. I was supposed to be going to a seminar on direct mail campaigns and online marketing strategies.”

“That sounds interesting.”

“Well, as you said, I’m obviously going to miss it now. My boss is going to be pissed. It cost quite a bit of money to register and pay for the room and everything.”

“What the fuck, Ev? You’re stuck in a ditch in a blizzard. I think he’ll understand.”