Solacium

Ch 30: Blake

Hours passed and the evening sun had begun to set, lighting the towering trees in a red and orange haze as I navigated through the thick forest. The car jumped and jolted over each small twig or hill, making it a rough ride but I paid it no mind. All I could feel was the weight of each hour that passed the longer I was away from Jada. So, despite Damian's many protests, I ended up racing through the forest at far too deadly of a speed.

"You just had to pick the sports car," I grumbled, tightening my grip around the wheel as I darted around another tree just seconds before hitting it. Tree branches whipped and scraped across the car windows as I just barely brushed by its towering base.

"You can at least act like you're not trying to kill me!" Damian shouted back, putting his hands on the dash to steady himself as we went over another branch, sending the small car jolting over it.

I huffed, blowing my hair from my face. I hadn't admitted it to Damian, but I had never actually driven a car. At least, not alone. There were a few instances where my father let me drive his car on an empty road just for fun, but it had been years. And boy, was I rusty.

We sped and slowed at different paces with the unsteady press of my foot on the gas as I whipped through the trees. The car jolted as it hit another particularly large root stretching across the grass, and I floored the gas, sending the car lurching over it as Damian let out another curse and held on for dear life. As we went over it, I heard something shift and looked back to see my duffel bag slide across the back seat.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" I heard Damian's fearful shout from beside me and I shot him a glare.

"What road?! We're in a freaking forest!" I shouted back, gesturing at the trees ahead of us.

"You know what I mean!"

"Can you just shut up and let me drive!" I snapped, turning my gaze back just in time to see another tree moments ahead. My knuckles went white as I gripped the wheel, turning the car harshly to dodge it.

"We're so dead," I heard Damian grumble, and I bit back my snide remarks.

Instead, I saved my breath, keeping my frustrated gaze ahead. With Damian, the ride had been impossibly long. It seemed like every second he was criticizing me or asking me questions or making stupid jokes. If he wasn't so damn annoying, I would have admired his persistence at making my life completely miserable.

Turning the wheel, I drove the car around the thick base of another tree, only to come across a large clearing just beyond it. It looked to be some kind of path, with fallen trees pushed out of the way.

General Hoffield's path. We made it.

I breathed, navigating the car to go down the path toward the cabin. Due to the path, the rest of the way was thankfully uneventful, giving us a much-needed respite. Eventually, the path gave way to a large opening where Jada's cabin sat seemingly still intact.

Finally! I cheered internally, pulling the car in front of the rustic cabin steps. If I had to go one more hour in that car with that blabbering Deviant, I was going to lose my freaking mind.

"This doesn't look like a government building," I heard Damian say from beside me as I parked the car. I grabbed my duffel bag from the backseat and swung it over my shoulder before giving him a look.

"It's not," I answered simply, unlocking the door and stepping outside.

Damian was quick to follow me. "Then why exactly are we here?"

"Enough with the questions already!" I snapped, putting my hand on Vorian's blaster that sat on my leg holster. "I can still shoot you and cut the key out from your corpse."