Knock On Wood (The Otherworld)

Chapter Sixteen

Hollis was in the driver’s seat, steering as he ate. They should have eaten before putting on their clothes, but they were already in the car and changed. He set his burger down in the box on his lap. He sadly couldn’t just wipe his hands on his slacks so he reached to the dashboard for a napkin. It was hard as he was still watching the road, but he got it.

The group had all eaten in silence even though they usually would chat about their day. None of them cared much for small talk. There was too much to focus on. He isn’t good at comforting people. He couldn’t think of what would calm his friends down, so he drove silent, as it was better than making them feel worse.

It was getting dark. The sun was setting to dusk, it light dipping behind hills. Hollis turned on his headlights. It was keeping darker the farther they went, and there were probably thickets coating the edge of the road coming up. Best to be prepared.

As Hollis drove, he made sure to watch the grassy sides of the road too. He hoped the wildlife would know better than walk on the road. He always worried about that during this time. It was harder for people to see now, and headlights made it harder for nocturnal life to see. He cringed from the thought of what could happen. He wasn’t a fan of driving at this time of night. But he was the only one who knew where to go. He didn’t have a choice.

The drive was long. They weren’t heading to the park, the Folk living there wouldn’t be as much help. Hollis didn’t know exactly, but they might have to go a little out of state to get to their destination. Hopefully that would be okay with everyone. Hollis knew where he was going, he knew who he was going to. He didn’t need the GPS on Sony’s phone or anything else. Mortal devices were pointless when it came to finding the opening. Sony and Lily talked some through the ride, quick conversations, short remarks, but Hollis stayed focused. He wouldn’t look away from the road. As trees and cars passed, hill after hill going by, the feeling in his chest grew. An instinctual pull was directing him, showing him which way to go. Hollis was determined not to lose it. These kind of paths got tricky. If you looked away it was gone. So Hollis kept his eyes trained and focused. He drove on through the dark.