PURSUING EARL

Earl just drove off with a mere three miles of gas left in the tank. You almost feel sorry for him—almost. He might get to the edge of town if he’s lucky.

You spend the next hour checking every car in the parking lot anyway, hoping someone left keys behind. Most are locked tight, but a few open easily. You search frantically—glove compartments, cup holders, sun visors, under seats. Nothing. People weren’t silly enough to leave keys in their cars during an evacuation.

Back in the store, you grab a heavy-duty dolly from the loading dock area. You find a couple empty gas cans in the automotive section—they’re large enough that they take up most of the space on the dolly. You manage to squeeze in a flashlight and one of the tennis rackets, but that’s about all you can carry.

You wheel the dolly over to the gas station next door and fill both gas cans. The pump accepts your credit card without issue—at least something’s working normally tonight.

With the heavy gas cans loaded on the dolly, you start walking north on Maple Ridge. Earl was heading toward Millerville, and with only three miles of gas, he can’t be far.

The night is growing darker, clouds blocking out most of the moonlight. Your flashlight beam feels small and inadequate against the pressing darkness. Worse, you keep hearing things in the brush along the roadside—rustling, movement, the occasional snap of a twig. You grip the tennis racket tighter and keep walking.

After walking almost an hour, your flashlight beam catches something ahead: your car, sitting dead in the middle of the lane. Not pulled over to the side like a responsible breakdown, just abandoned right where it stopped.

The driver’s door hangs wide open.

You approach cautiously, calling out, “Earl? Earl, you out there?”

No answer. The car is completely dark. You look. No keys anywhere—Earl must have them. And where is Earl?

You shine your flashlight around the area—roadside ditches, the tree line beyond. No sign of him anywhere. The rustling in the brush seems to have stopped, like everything is watching you.