Derrick turned the keys in his ignition and started his car. Brumm. The engine rattled.
The exhaust behind the car steamed up into the cold air.
Danny copied him and started his truck just seconds after Derrick. Brumm.
Derrick looked over at Danny and nodded... it was terribly awkward, but it's all he knew to do. He looked back at the parking lot in front of him and pulled toward the exit, rolling over the white lines on the pavement. Derrick's eyes were glued to his rearview mirror, watching Danny's white, rusty truck. He turned the heat higher; if it wasn't already cold enough, the anxiety was making it colder. And just like magic, right on cue... Danny's truck started to pull to the exit behind Derrick.
The red light bouncing into the car turned green. "Oh," he said. He pulled out and stayed in the right lane, hoping Danny wouldn't follow behind. He kept going, keeping the speed low... and so did Danny. Derrick kept watching the rearview mirror more than the road.
"This is weird... what are you doing, man?" Derrick said to himself. "Oh. No... surely not..." He wanted to convince himself that Danny wasn't waiting on him in the parking lot. That he wasn't following him...
But, Derrick's photo was in Danny's cabin. Hanging beside all his friends, the pictures were like a wall of fame. A hanging collection of faces that meant something. But these friends were here and alive... and Genni wasn't.
Derrick pulled into a hardware store, praying that Danny would keep going. But like seeing a monster crawl in a scary movie... the rusting truck pulled in just seconds after.
"This isn't cool, man," Derrick said. His eyes shot to the gas station that shared the parking lot. The sunset meant one thing to Derrick: those lights above the pump were about to come on. Derrick pulled forward and parked at the pump under the flickering light, even though his tank was full of gas.
It was a waiting game. Like cat and mouse. Who's moving first? The cat? Or the mouse? Danny knew Derrick was onto him. He picked up the gun from the passenger seat and moved it into the glovebox. "Not today," Danny said.
Derrick, lucky enough, watched Danny pull out of the gas station and head the opposite direction... but that wasn't enough for Derrick. He knew Danny was up to something, but he had to know more.
He put the car into drive and turned the cat into the mouse.
***What will Derrick find if he follows Danny? Will he make a mistake?
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