"Relentless" and other shorts

Highway Belle

The sky gradually dimmed as it always had, strewn with beautiful splashes of indigo, crimson and orange. This had so far been the best part of the drive. The saloon cruised down gravel, as it had been doing so for the past few hours. Jackson and Omar had unanimously decided to just hit the road and follow where it took them: Their idea of a vacation. The mountains stood their ground, casting shadows over the landscape, a natural clock of divine precision. Ahead lay darkness, uncertainty; Nevertheless, young and wild hearts with the ever so confident stupidity of youth usually prevails.

"How much longer till we reach the next town?" Omar inquired, one hand on the steering wheel, another one fumbling through a packet of potato crisps.

"I would definitely tell you if we had cell service. Last I checked we were about four hours away," Jackson said sarcastically.

"How long back was that?"

"Fifteen minutes ago?"

"It doesn't say anywhere that there wouldn't be any cell service in these parts."

"It doesn't say anywhere that you're a dumbass."

"Always pulling the funny card, eh?"

"More like owning it!"

"You're the worst kind of narcissist, bro."

"And proud of it, too!"

"So we just keep following the road till we find civilization again?"

"Live life on the edge for a bit why don't ya?" 

As young and wild as they were, a friendship that lasts through high school and beyond university was not one to be tampered with. They were always prepared, at least somewhat.

There was an unspoken bond, a certain neural communication of understanding, bereft of words. To them, it was pretty cool, and it helped them tackle many situations in which they could have been the wiser.

Night began to descend upon the landscape, another hour passing by. The battle for the playlist had finally signed an armistice of two songs per person - Jackson with his modern day pop, Omar playing psychedelics. The high beams hadn't caught sight of any vehicle or person so far. Lowering their windows, a cool breeze greeted them. They put the windows down and let the pleasant gusts cross ventilate. Omar tried to peer through his glasses as far as he could, and all he saw was darkness. No moon tonight either, He thought to himself.

"I have never been on such a dark road... There's absolutely nothing here for miles!" exclaimed Jackson, his Adrien Brody like nose and huge beard bouncing with his words.

"Yeah, it is pretty dark. Plus, we've never driven out this far before have we?"

"It's still two days' drive to Salalah. It's adventure time. Driving around the confines of U.A.E for the past six years has been experience enough!"

Omar kept his eyes intently on the road and slowly murmured, "It's too desolate out here, don't you think? I haven't seen a single car in the past twenty minutes."

"Just keep her steady."

By this time, the world outside their fort on wheels had been engulfed in a blanket of darkness. The sky overcast intensified the darkness of night, rocky desert sands either dark shapes or barely visible in the dark. All that could be seen were through the headlights of Omar's car.

This was a stupid idea, Omar thought to himself. He scratched his goatee and then his bald head, squinting through the front glass of his car, the headlights and faded white lane divider in the center of the road his guide. Concrete, wisps of sand drifting in the wind and scattered shrubs were mostly what Omar or any other human being would have expected. The music calmed his nerves, briefly obscuring the reality that they were completely alone out here. Jackson was the more composed one: He didn't worry until needed.