REM

Quick Storm

Driving through a snowstorm usually wasn't easy, but when the snowstorm occurred in the middle of the summer, it was damn near impossible. Everyone was caught off guard, even motorcyclists who were forced to abandon their two-wheeled vehicles as the snow fell rapidly all across the country. No one was safe from the snow that fell without warning, including myself.

Fortunately for me and a coworker, we were the last ones to leave work so we at least knew what we had ahead of us for the drive home. I offered to drive her home since I had all wheel drive, but that wasn't going to guarantee our safety on the roads on summer tires.

I knew I had to drive slowly as the white flecks of snow continued to fall to the ground as the wipers swiped back and forth to clear my view of the road ahead. There were no other vehicles on the road as I carefully made my way to my coworker's house. Many however, were in ditches as I concentrated on avoiding the same fate.

"Whoever said global warming isn't real, is a complete idiot," Bev remarked. "We went from crazy heat to torrential downpours, now snow!"

I chuckled as I continued to grip the heated steering wheel.

"You won't get any argument from me there," I agreed. "This reminds me of that movie I saw ages ago about how the temperature dropped so drastically that the fuel lines in the helicopter froze. And when one of the survivors tried to get out after they crash landed, he froze instantly too."

"I don't think I saw that one," she replied.

"Probably for the best," I assured her. "If you didn't have anxiety before, you would right now. And you probably wouldn't have left work either."

"Well don't scare me now!" She scolded, then added a subtle laugh.

"We'll be fine, don't you worry. Just as long as the roads aren't blocked and I get a good run up any hills we come across, I'll at least get you home safely."

"What about you?" She inquired.

Shrugging, I hadn't really thought that far ahead.

"I'm not sure. I might just make a phone call once I drop you off to see if anyone made it home yet. No sense in going home to an empty house if they're stranded somewhere else."

"You might have to wait it out until the morning you know."

"You mean sleep on your couch?" I chuckled.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. It's dangerous enough now as it is."

"Let's worry about getting you home first and then see how things go."

As we both decided to silence our conversing, I started to drive down a winding road. Many vehicles were in the ditches on either side and some were even abandoned on the roadway.

Turning right around a bend, I slammed on the brakes as I noticed a wall of cars. Luckily I wasn't going too fast and the car came to a halt about a car length away from the first snow-covered vehicle in the roadblock.

"Well that was unexpected," I stated as I drove slowly and tried to weave my way through the maze of vehicles so I at least didn't get rear ended by someone else coming around the same corner before the wall of cars.

"Where did everybody go?" Bev asked as we passed a van with the sliding door left open.

"I'm not sure," I replied quietly, the scene becoming more and more eerie as I noticed a crotch rocket covered in snow and my ears picked up on a radio.

"Do you hear that?"

I nodded and glanced over at Bev. "Yup, I definitely do. Sounds like someone left their car radio running."

"Who on earth would do such a thing?" She asked. "And why?"

"Beats me."

Finally passing the majority of the abandoned cars, I noticed the skeleton of a building that was being constructed. It didn't look like it would yield much shelter, so I didn't pay much attention to it as I slowly drove by.

"Wait a minute," Bev blurted out as she undid her seat belt and waited for me to stop the car. Before I could ask why, she jumped from the car and disappeared.

"Bev!"

I undid my seat belt and got out of the car, but her short, curly dark hair and small figure had already disappeared. Her black coat wasn't visible at all in the wall of white that continued to fall. I had lost her and all it took was a split second decision for her to leave the car. If I followed and became lost who knew what would happen. My only option was to wait in the car and hope she came back, and if she didn't return before nightfall, I would have to make the most difficult decision of my life to leave her behind.