It was the dead of night, fifty miles deep nowhere, when the lights began to flash behind them. Red, blue, red, no siren, just a quick stop-the-car-or-I'll-shoot sort of deal.

“Fuck.” Ricky ground onto a pullout and slapped the green digital clock. “Fuck!”

Marissa nodded. “We weren't speeding or anything. Where'd that guy come from? He must have been following us since we left that ghost town two hours back. You'd think police would have better things to do than harass people on desolate strips of highway at two in the morning.”

Ricky pounded the wheel and rolled down his window.

Marissa gave his shoulder a quick rub. “Just play it cool, honey.”

A spotlight flickered into the crammed back seat, glanced around at the piles of over stuffed backpacks, jumbled maps and crumpled candy wrappers, then peered in through the open window. “You have a license on you Mister?”

Ricky slid his wallet open. The officer glanced at the card, flicked his light to the passenger seat and paused a moment on Marissa's face, as if surprised to find her there. “You... traveling together Ma'am?”

Ricky snorted. “What's it look like?”

Marissa squeezed his bicep. “Yes, we are.”

The officer peered deep into the car, nodded, handed over the license. “You're free to go then.” The flashlight clicked dark, there was a bang as a car door slammed and they were alone.

“What was that all about?” Marissa threw up her hands and reclined her seat. “I mean, seriously! Stopping us for no reason, you'd think he could at least apologize for--”

“Let's just drive.” Ricky hit the gas and the car jolted onto the road.

Marissa blinked. “I was just saying--”

He shouted over the wind as he rolled up his window. “Just drop it already! It was nothing, ok?”

She stiffened.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Aw, shit, Risa, I'm sorry, okay? It's fucking late and we've got all this way to go still. Three hours! Let's just listen to the radio awhile, right? It's just that I'm all shook up, you know?”

“I know.” She hit the power on the radio and flipped through static until some rock bled from the speakers. As an afterthought, she twisted and reached for something in the back seat. The car jerked and she started up to see Ricky peering at her through narrow eyes.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

She wriggled a silver cell phone in his face. “Picking this up so it doesn't get thrashed on the floor. We really need to clean this car up, you can't see an inch through that junk back there and it smells like something died. What is with you tonight?”

“I told you already, I'm tired! And I thought you were going to call someone, there's no need to bother folks at god's hour in the morning!” He flicked his eyes at her, the road, her. The viens in his neck throbbed. His knuckles on the wheel were white.

“Right.”

There was a lull where the music seemed to gain in volume.

“Hey, Risa?”

“Yah, Ricky?”

The road outside stretched on forever, empty and flat and black.

“You want me to hold that for you? The phone? I can put it on the dashboard. Keep it safe.”

Marissa pushed the cell deep into her coat pocket and pulled the fabric around her body. “Don't sweat it stud, just focus on your driving.”

“Right, right.” Ricky straightened his shoulders and let out a long breath, centered his eyes on the asphalt. “Be there soon anyway.” His foot pressed the gas a little harder and the engine vroomed.

Thirty minutes later, a car slunk into their rear view mirrors. Black and white, official. Ricky broke a sweat. “Oh, no they don't. I'm not stopping again. Fuck!”

Marissa yawned. “He isn't asking you to stop, just drive cool. Maybe we'll grab some coffee in the next town, make you more sensibal. Or maybe I'll drive awhile, yah?”

“You drive! That'd be a laugh! Fuck-” he twisted the mirror above his head to see the patrol car clearer, “fuck this! I'm not stopping and I'm not gonna be tailed either.”

“What do you mean my driving's a laugh?” Her jaw tightened and she threw him a hot glare. “Pull over.”

“What!”

“I said, pull, over.” She leaned over and got her face next to his so she could make sure every ounce of anger made it through. “I can drive just as well as you if not better. Pull over right now and change seats with me or else.”

Ricky shrugged her off. “Don't you start in as well-”

“As well as who?”

“That fucking cop!”

“The cop's not doing anything!”

“He's going to pull me over!”

“He's just driving you idiot!” Just then, lights began to flash red. Marissa glanced at the spedometer.

Wheels squealed as Ricky swerved and pointed vigourously at the reflected glare. “I told you!”

“Of course he's flagging you down now, you're twenty miles over the speed limit brainiac! Just slow down and let's-”

“No!” He leaned over the wheel and the speedometer curved toward higher climates. “I just want to get to the resort and get this done with!”

Marissa retreated to the far corner of the front seat. Her skin prickled. “Get what done with?”

Ricky grunted and peeked at her. “Get to bed.”

A siren wailed.

They were shooting into the dark, a blur, the speedometer straining to count their progress. Marissa grabbed his arm and dug in ten long nails. “Ricky! We have to stop!”

He flung her off, grabbed her by the hair and bashed her head into the dashboard.

She screamed.

He lifted her head, fingers twisted through her pony tail.

She lunged for the steering wheel.

The car spun.

“Fuck.” Ricky dropped her hair and tried to gain control, but the wheels had gone awol and the road was preparing to pounce. “Fuck!”

Wheels screamed, sirens screamed, Marissa screamed, the night convulsed and the car flew into black.

When Marissa awoke, she was at an infirmery. The walls were white and the windows were blue and the nurse that was holding her hand had frown lines that denied her plastic smile. A latex hand gave Marissa's arm a little rub. A medicinal voice. “You were in an accident last night. You are in St. Mary's Hospital. You're going to be okay... but there was a fire. The other two died in the car.”

Marissa clutched her forehead. “The other-- You mean, Ricky is dead.”

The nurse nodded. “The woman as well. I'm so sorry.”

“The.. what?” Marissa thought back, to the mess in the back seat of Ricky's car, the backpacks and sleeping bags, the jumbled candy wrappers and coats. So much stuff it could have hidden a train. And the rancid smell, she'd attributed it to the rotton take out they'd picked up two states back, but... her stomach rose into her throat. She put a hand over her mouth. The nurse squeezed tighter, then stood up and went back to her work.