The Highway

James and Jane sat in an old car as they sped down the highway. It was an
hour or two before sunset and the couple was determined to reach their
destination before midnight. James's girlfriend, Jane, had a cousin who lived a mere four hours drive from where they were at the moment. James,
having just received his license, had decided to go on a road trip with
Jane. James was 20, and Jane was 19. In the last month they had only stopped to eat and to sightsee. They slept within James's rusty old car. Both James and Jane had blonde hair and fair skin. As their old car sped down the highway, creating clouds of dust, they talked. It was only after several minutes of talking that James noticed a darkly clad solitary figure standing by the side of the road, his thumb pointing in the direction that
they were driving. He was a hitch hiker. "Lets pick him up." James suggested. He had never picked up a hitchhiker before. Jane looked worried. "What if he's a murderer or some kind of criminal?" James smiled. "If that is the case I will use the air rifle on him." The air rifle was always on
the floor beside James. He sometimes used it to shoot targets. It was a hobby of his. It always had been. He stopped the car in front of the man
who had long dark hair that reached to his shoulders. His eyes were startlingly green. He was dressed completely in black. He seemed slightly younger than Jane, about 18. His clothes were coated with dust. He walked to the car and opened the door. "Hello." He said. "I'm Jessie." He sat in the middle of the back and put on his seatbelt. James resumed driving. "My
name is James." He said. "And mine is Jane." She said.

Soon a silence descended over the car. Finally James broke it and asked "So where are you bound?" Jessie shrugged. "The next town." He then said.
"And where are you from?" James proceeded to ask. Jessie shrugged once more. "Around." He didn't seem to talk a lot. "So what are you doing out
here?" James asked. "Traveling." James raised his eyebrows and said nothing. He was beginning to regret picking the anonymous youth up. He was proving more evasive than most people. "So how old are you?" James said. "Eighteen." Came the answer from behind. "Well, where are your belongings? I mean you would need supplies to travel." Jessie stared out of the window into the dusty landscape that sped past the window. "They were stolen." He
finally answered. "Well did you report it to the police?" James asked
suspiciously. "No." Came the reply. "Why not?" James asked, not to be deterred. "They took my mobile phone." Jessie answered after another moment
of thought. Jane also stared out of the window, but James knew she was
listening intently. "Well you can borrow mine." James finally said. "I would rather wait for the next payphone." Jessie said. James looked at Jane and raised his eyebrows. She said nothing. "Well if you want I can lend you mine." James countered. "I'd rather not." Jessie said. Jane then turned on
the radio and started humming to the music. Nothing more was said for
another half an hour. James groaned. "Oh no. The police." Ahead a lone police car stood. Jessie flinched uncomfortably. Jane saw and wondered if
perhaps the strange youth was some sort of criminal. He obviously was
afraid of the police. James groaned again and pulled over as the police
officer got out of his car. He approached the car and James lowered his
window. "Is there a problem, officer?" James said putting on his most innocent tone. He didn't want the air rifle to be discovered. It would be an inconvenience because he hadn't exactly purchased it legally. Luckily his legs were preventing it to be seen. The police man was middle aged and fat and he said "I have orders to search all vehicles. There is word of an
escaped criminal. Jane didn't move but she wished to turn and look at
Jessie. All within the car were uncomfortable. A search would probably unearth the air rifle. That would only lead to trouble. The cop took a good
look at James, and then Jane. Then he knocked on Jessie's window. "Open up." The policeman said. Nothing happened. "Open up." The policeman knocked
on the window again and slowly it came down. Jessie sat hunched and he stared at the door. The policeman stared for a moment and then he instantly
pulled his gun from its holster in a swift movement. "Nobody move!" He shouted. He pulled his radio out of his belt and said. "Long black hair,
green eyes. Appropriate age. Possible match." Then he gave the road
coordinates. A voice crackled over the loud speaker. "We are sending reinforcements. Keep the suspect where he is." It was then that the pistol in the policeman's hand flew through the window into Jessie's lap and the
car revved and began to drive, leaving a swearing, shouting policeman behind them. The car seemed to be driving all by itself, James sat recoiled
in his seat as the gas pedal remarkably was pushed down by some unseen force. They were gaining speed. The policeman pulled another pistol from
its holster and fired six shots at the fleeing vehicle. All missed the
people within. There was a loud bang. One of the shots had pierced the tire. The car began to slow down and Jane screamed and James grabbed the wheel in a vain attempt to steer. It wouldn't budge. The car sped up again and suddenly it began to slide. The popped tire was taking an effect upon the car. The wheel suddenly began to steer by itself, perhaps the unseen agency that had pushed the pedal was attempting to keep the car upon the road. The car stayed on the road for another five seconds, then it swerved wildly and smashed through a fence and rolled down into a small valley. The
car then shuddered to a halt and the motor died. They were in a bowl of
grass, a crater of sorts. In the middle an old tree stood. There was a shocked silence and then James ripped the door open and grabbed his rifle. "Get out of the car Jane!" He shouted and Jessie opened his door and came
out. The policeman's pistol hung out of his pocket. Jane ran to her boyfriend as he raised his air rifle at Jessie. "Stay the hell where you are!" Jessie continued to slowly advance upon the pair. "I don't know what the heck happened back there but I'm damn sure it has something to do with you. The cop seemed to think you were some kind of criminal." Jessie calmly replied "Give me the air gun." James took a step back and said "Don't come
any closer or I'll dent your skull." He waved his rifle threateningly. Jessie stepped closer. "Give me the gun, James." He said again, completely calm. James shook his head and then said "I swear to god if you step any
closer I'll shoot!" Jessie stepped closer. James fired. The bullet sped
straight towards his head, and then, abruptly, it stopped in mid air, several inches from Jessie's head. James stared wide eyed at the floating bullet. "Give me the rifle." Jessie said. James tossed the rifle at him and said "Just stay the hell away from me!" Jessie opened the gun and fitted the hovering bullet into it. "First let me tell you of my story before you
judge me." "I will not harm you." He added. James said nothing but Jane
said in a fearful voice "We will listen." She did not want to anger a criminal. He might prove unstable and hurt them, despite what he said. And
so Jessie began to talk. "I have lived a relatively normal life with my parents up until my thirteenth birthday. At this time, I discovered that I could affect objects with my mind and eventually, I could control them. I had received a gift. From god perhaps, I do not know. I had received the power of telekinesis." To demonstrate his point he held his hand towards a
small pebble that lay on the ground. It hovered up and floated into his hand. James and Jane said nothing, and simply stared at the pebble. "One day, my parents found out about my miraculous gift. Or curse, as you may see. The following day a group of government men came to our house and told
me that I was to be taken to a special doctor so that my gift could be examined. My parents had told them to come. I think they feared me, for I
was not normal in their eyes. I was a freak. And so I came to a special laboratory near here, where special experiments were conducted. As night began to settle, I expected the men to return me to my home. They did not. It was then that I discovered that I was trapped. I tried to escape, but my room was locked and I was constantly being watched by cameras. Everyday the scientist ran test upon me and hooked me up to all kinds of machines, in the name of science of course." Jessie laughed bitterly. "And so I was kept
in that dreadful place for a full five years. I had practiced my power
every day and I was becoming increasingly strong. I dreamt of escape." Jessie tossed the stone into the air and it suddenly flew straight at the lone tree in the bowl. The pebble struck a branch, like a bullet, and cut it clean off. James and Jane stepped back another step. They had seen what Jessie was capable of. He was a whole lot more dangerous than any criminal
could be. "So I was able to smash the camera and tear the door off. I incapacitated the guards and fled from the clinic, towards the road. I have
been wandering since yesterday in hope of being picked up by a car. You were the first to pass me." A sad look came over his face. "I think that there are other children still in the clinic. I was not able to help them. Perhaps I will come back and rescue them one day. When I am more powerful." Jessie looked up at the darkening sky and then he said "The government must have set up the police blockades along the highway in hopes of catching me.
Unfortunately, they now know where I am. The radio mentioned reinforcements. I will not allow myself to be captured once more. I will
die trying to escape if I must. I will never return to that horrible place." He then stared at James and Jane. "If you wish you may flee now, for soldiers will be coming soon. They know that I have grown strong. My advice is to leave now. If you stay, I will not be responsible for you any more. There will be a great chance of you being hurt. If you oppose me, I shall stop you." The couple did not move. "We shall stay." Jane murmured. It seemed she was sorry for the youth. "You have made your choice." Jessie said and then walked up to the highway. There was a slight noise. A vehicle was approaching. Finally, some luck. Into view came a large truck. Jessie
walked into the middle of the road and began to wave for the truck. It
screeched to a halt in front of him. The door opened and a fat man in overalls came out. "What do you want." He growled. Jessie approached him and struck him hard on the head with his rifle. The man fell like a stone. "I want your truck." He said. The motor still ran and Jessie approached the side of the truck. It was a petrol tanker. "Perfect." Jessie murmured. He could not have wished for a better vehicle. He would actually escape! He
used his powers to push the gas pedal and the truck sped forwards. He steered it towards the bowl and it rolled down and slid sideways into the tree. Jessie turned off the motor. An idea was churning into around in his mind. "What do you think you are doing?" James shouted as Jessie aimed the air gun at the truck. "We'll all go up in flames!" He shouted and started towards Jessie. Jessie shook his head. "It is an air rifle. It uses air to propel itself forwards. I will ensure that it does not explode." He then fired. The bullet struck the thick metal but it did not pierce it. Jessie turned and suddenly a box of ammo floated towards him from James's car. He loaded the gun again and aimed. "You'll never hit the same place twice in a row." James shouted. And he stepped back several meters. But Jessie, aided by his power, hit the same place and he deepened the hole. He shot two more bullets into the hole when he suddenly felt that his bullet had punctured the tank. A spurt of petrol hit the grass. "Excellent." Jessie muttered.
"You're crazy!" James shouted. "We will all die if some much as a spark hits that!" Jessie shook his head. "That is exactly the plan. I hope I will not actually have to set fire to the petrol, but it might prove necessary, and I warned you about staying. You still may leave if you wish." James and
Jane backed away from the spilling petrol. If even a spark touched the petrol, the whole bowl would explode in flames, instantly reducing them to ash. Then Jessie turned and rummaged through the car. Eventually he came across what he was looking for. A piece of string and a rubber band. James
and Jane watched him fumble around the tree near the truck. "Now all is ready." Jessie finally said. "What do we do?" Jane asked. "We wait." And they did. They did not have to wait long. The reinforcements had already been called when Jessie had escaped a day before. Now all they had to do was to locate the policeman they had met and from then on they would find Jessie. After approximately half an hour, as the sky was completely dark,
there came a noise of another car driving. As the noise neared Jessie realized that there were several cars. Suddenly, the noise ceased. Jessie, James and Jane waited several suspenseful minutes in the bowl until finally
they saw who had arrived. In the blink of an eye, 20 armed soldiers all
appeared aimed down at Jessie with large, black rifles. They wore black armour and black helmets. One unarmed man also dressed in black stood at the edge of the bowl. All the spotlights shone upon Jessie, blinding him.
"Don't move or we will shoot you!" The unarmed man shouted. He was the
lieutenant. Jessie raised his rifle and pointed it straight at James's
head. "If any of you move, I will kill this man." He said calmly. James stood perfectly still. The events of this evening had made a turn for the worse. Perhaps he should have gotten a way while he had a chance. Several beads of sweat ran down his forehead. His girlfriend squeezed his hand, not daring to move any more. "Don't make me laugh. That air rifle wouldn't kill him, and, you are worth more than those two. They mean nothing to us." The
lieutenant called down to Jessie, yet he seemed to hesitate to order to
shoot. Jessie lowered his air rifle. "Their lives might mean nothing to
you, but what about mine?" He then pointed the rifle at his head. The
lieutenant laughed. "If you think you can kill yourself with that air
rifle, you must be deluded." Jessie shook his head. "Not with this air
rifle. And I wouldn't just kill myself either." The lieutenant said nothing. Jessie pointed at the truck. "It is too dark for you to identify what the truck contains, or what hangs in front of it." Immediately three soldiers pointed their weapons at the truck, illuminating it. "There, hangs
my weapon." He pointed towards the policeman's pistol which hung upside down from the tree above the leaking patch of petrol. "The truck contains
petrol. It has been pierced. That pistol there hangs directly above the petrol. If it were to fire it would ignite the petrol, and all your men, yourself included, will explode in flames." The lieutenant then said "We can shoot you faster than you can pull the trigger with your magic." Jessie
shook his head. "Tied to the trigger is a rubber band. The trigger is almost completely pulled. It is my power that keeps the trigger from being completely pulled. If I were to be shot, the pistol would fire and then the
petrol would ignite." The lieutenant then reasoned "The shot is too far from the petrol, the shot would merely hit the dirt." Jessie shook his head
once more. "The petrol fumes have risen and now completely surround the pistol. As soon as I wish, I can blow this whole place up. Do not move or you will all die." The lieutenant considered this for a moment. They had
fallen into a trap. They were now the ones being threatened. But he was trained for these situations so he then spoke "Then release the civilians for they are of no use to you." Jessie nodded and said "They can go." James and Jane instantly ran up and made for the road until they were absolutely safe from the truck, incase it were to go off. Jessie stood in the middle of the bowl and said once more "Nobody move." The lieutenant spoke softly
into his helmet and he seemed to be giving orders. Suddenly, a dart was
fired. Not at Jessie, but at the pistol. The dart sped forwards, and suddenly halted in mid air. It dropped to the floor and Jessie laughed. If
the dart had hit the gun it would have succeeded in disarming the trap. Jessie slowly moved towards the walls of the bowl. "I'm sorry lieutenant,
but one of your men moved." The lieutenant realized what this meant and
then, in a cowardly display, turned and began to run, leaving his men behind. Jessie raised his air gun and fired. The bullet struck the shoulder of the lieutenant and he fell to the dirt. "That, my dear lieutenant was another movement." Jessie then walked up to the edge of the bowl and said
"Goodbye, gentlemen." And with that, he released the trigger, and simultaneously, all hell broke loose. Several things happened at the same time so I will describe them in slow motion. As the rubber band pulled the trigger down, the gunpowder was ignited, and as the bullet began to speed
out of the gun, the air around it burst into flames. The fire instantly
spread down into the petrol, which in turn ignited with a fiery blast.
Meanwhile, Jessie was half way up the bowl, in an attempt to escape the blast of fire. The soldiers then began to turn, as they realized what was about to happen. The lieutenant writhed in the mud, trying to crawl away. The fire from the petrol then traveled within the truck in a millisecond and a huge explosion sent glowing hunks of metal flying in all directions.
They deadly shrapnel whizzed through the air like several discs, some
striking earth, one struck a soldier on his leg, and another almost separated Jessie's head from his shoulders. Luckily, his powers deflected the metal and it rebounded up above him. The truck, James's car and all of the soldiers and the lieutenant exploded then, in one huge explosion. The
grass instantly shriveled, and the tree combusted. Several people were flung straight out of the bowl. James and Jane saw the incredible explosion
and they felt a tremendous blast of heat from their safe vantage point. Then the huge flame subsided and a blackened, charred landscape remained.
The burning remains of the car, the truck and the tree were pathetic
compared to the explosion just a moment before. James felt a strange
sadness within him, for he had felt sorry for Jessie. The soldiers also hadn't needed to die. They hadn't done anything wrong. A policeman rushed
towards the pair and asked them what had happened. They told about how Jessie had held them hostage and how he had threatened to blow up the bowl.
They left out the part of how they had stayed with him and they didn't mention Jessie's story. They would need a new car. They would have a whole lot of trouble convincing the insurance people of the events of the night.

John the truck driver drove down the highway almost asleep. He had been awake for the whole night for he needed to deliver by this evening. He was
now very tired. So tired, that he almost missed the young man of about eighteen who stood at the edge of the road with his thumb pointing in the same direction as the he was driving. John stopped and let the young man in. He was incredibly dirty and was completely clad in black. He had black
hair that went down to his shoulders and he had green eyes. His clothes smelt of smoke, and he seemed tired. "So where are you bound?" John asked.
The youth shrugged and said "The next town."