Page 4 of Autumn After

Only, that wasn’t acceptable to me, and because of that, I figured I’d just try it again, because maybe this time it would turn on. Never mind the fact that what you always did got you what you always got—in this instance, that was nothing. Lavender didn’t even pretend to turn over. The key might as well have been attached to a scone for all the good it did me.

I was stuck.

And to add insult to injury, somewhere between the last video short and me checking the fuse, I lost my cell service, meaning no more internet for me, and worse than that, no signal to call a tow truck.

The sun had already started its descent and soon it would be dark. The blues and purples that painted the sky were gorgeous. Any other day I’d soak in the sight. I looked at my clock, thinking it was a lot later than it was. But no, it was still early. The sky was just getting darker. Those colors indicated a storm coming in.

Fuck. That meant it wasn’t night, it was going to rain.

At least I didn’t have a leak in the roof. That was something, right?

And I had food and water. Silver linings. Because if I didn’t hold onto the small things, I was going to curl up in my truck and cry, and that would get me absolutely nowhere.

I put down the hood and climbed back into the cab as the first drop hit the back of my neck.

The inside of the cab was warm, but without the air movement, my windows were beginning to fog. If I waited too long, it would get cold out here and I would freeze to death before I could even make it to someplace to get help.

A noise I thought was thunder beginning to rumble at first turned out to be a car, and I jumped out of my vehicle. It might not have been my safest move, but it was the best one I had. I had been sitting for at least an hour and this was the first car I’d seen.

Thank gods, they pulled right over. And, of course, that surprise turned to panic, thinking about all the “missing omegas” files Ihad seen on TV. This was the perfect location for that—in the middle of nowhere, who would see? My head was fun.

My fear fell away as the man stepped out of the car.

He was tall, dark-haired, his eyes crystal blue, and had a smile that nearly knocked me over. That wasn’t the weird thing. There were a lot of hot guys out there, and frankly, hot guys could be serial killers, too. But it was this feeling of calm that came over me, this calm that told me that everything was going to be all right and that he was going to help. Lavender and I were in good hands.

“Got a flat?” he asked. His eyes had a wildness to him that reminded me of some sort of animal. He moved so gracefully that I almost swooned right there. Was I being rescued by some sort of knight in… a faded t-shirt and ripped jeans? If so, I wasn’t going to complain.

“No, I wish. A flat I could fix.”

“Did you hit something?” Worry riddled his face. “Are you injured at all?”

“No, she just stopped.” I half shrugged. “I checked all the usual suspects, and I have no idea what’s up. She won’t even turn over now.” And why did that make me want to burst into tears? She was just a truck.

Tears didn’t come, but a dam of information burst out of me as I started talking a mile a minute. I told him all about the troublesI’d been having with her, and how I wasn’t sure what to do next. I grabbed the back of my neck. I wished I knew more about vehicles. Or maybe I didn’t. Being here with him might just be worth being stuck.

Wait? What was I thinking? Of course it wasn’t. I had places to be and a dream to save. If my parents could see me now, they’d be shaking their heads, ready to tell me they told me so. It wasn’t over yet, though. I still had a chance. My gut told me I’d made the right choice, if I was on a little detour.

The sky cracked, lightning real close by, booming before I even started to count. So much for it being a slow rolling storm.

“The storm is going to be bad. It’s coming in fast, and we’ve got to get out of here.” He pointed to the sky.

“Yeah, I got that.” Another huge drop landed on me, this time on my nose. At least it wasn’t downpouring yet.

Then the skies let loose. Rain pelted my face and thunder cracked. The window whipped the last of the golden leaves off the trees.

The man stepped closer. “I’m Cedric,” he said, putting out his hand. He had to speak loudly so that I could hear him.

“Willow.” I placed my hand in his. It was a weird shake because it was more like he just wanted to feel my hand than a businessman handshake. But then again, I was in the middle of nowhere, so this wasn’t really businessman territory.

“I don’t live too far from here. You want to come over and maybe not drown?”

Was drowning an option? It was as if he heard my thoughts, and he pointed behind me. The end of the road was a short distance from a river. How had I missed that?

“I wasn’t planning on going in there.” Could I be any more awkward? Obviously, I wasn’t here to swim.

“Well, it’s going to come higher before this is over. Best we get going.”

Everything I’d ever seen in the news and true crime podcasts said, “No, don’t be a dumbass. Stay here with your vehicle. You’ll be fine, and no one will suck your bones after you’ve died a horrible death and were served for dinner.”

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