the air. My phone beeped as its signal increased and messages and voicemails flooded my phone. I opened a new text and typed feverishly hoping he would answer.
Are you okay? What do you need me to do?
I clicked send and looked around trying to figure out my way home.
“Excuse me,” A male is his early thirties called from a van that had pulled up to the curb. I shielded my eyes from the sun and glanced his way. He waved his hand to signal he was talking to me. I could see a female in the passenger seat who appeared to be his wife. I smiled as I stepped closer to the vehicle.
“Can I help you?” I asked, glancing back and forth between their faces.
“Yes, Ma’am. We are not from around here and we are just lost,” the woman answered with a laugh.
“I’m sorry. I’m actually not from around here. I’m from Pennsylvania. I’m trying to find my way back home as well,” I apologized, shrugging my shoulders.
“Everything alright?” the woman asked with genuine concern written on her face.
“My car… broke down,” I lied.
“Well, we’re from Maryland. We wouldn’t mind the extra company. If you wouldn’t mind us singing show tunes,” The man chimed in with a smile that appeared a little forced. I glanced toward the back of the van. My phone beeped and I read the message from Grayson.
Please hurry!
I swallowed hard.
“Sure. I mean… if you really don’t mind.” I didn’t have any other options and I needed to get back as quickly as possible.
“Hop on in,” the man reassured me and gestured for me to get in the back. I opened the door and slid in the middle row next to an empty car seat. We took off down the block, stopping at a gas station for directions before finding our way to the highway. “Name is Silas and this is my wife Aster,” he said eyeing me through the rearview mirror.
“I’m Eva. Pleased to meet you,” I replied with a smile. “Thank you so much for the ride.”
“It’s no problem,” Aster said with a flip of her hand and turned up the radio.
***
The couple sang as the miles clicked by. I happily joined in on a few songs, grateful for the distraction. It reminded me of when I was young and our family would take vacations. Every summer we would pile into the car and head to a local amusement park several hours from home. Back then, a few hours felt like a world away.
Chapter twenty-four
Church and Main
We made our way through a sliver of Georgia, uneventfully as the sun set. We pulled off of the highway to fill up on gas and get a bite to eat. Silas checked the fluids in the car as I chatted up Aster and ate my premade turkey sandwich from the store.
“How long you guys been together?” I asked with a mouthful of food.
“Just a few months, but it was love at first sight,” Aster replied and nibbled at her food. I took another bite and glanced over at the car seat.
“You look great for just having a baby,” I said as I unscrewed the lid to my coke and took a swig.
“Oh, we don’t have any kids,” She replied. I glanced toward the front and back at the seat.
“Oh… I just assumed because of the seat,” I explained, confused. Silas hopped back in and turned on the van.
“You ladies ready to go?” he asked with a grin, peering into the rearview mirror.
“Actually, I have to use the ladies room if you don’t mind.” Something wasn’t adding up about the couple. Aster grabbed Silas’s arm and shot him a warning glare. He sighed heavily and got back out of the van and slid my door open.
“I didn’t want to have to do this, Eva. You seem like a real nice lady,” he said as raised his hand and struck me on the head. I threw my hands up protectively as he struck again, this time with a hard object. My head spun as I lay over and the world faded to black.
The van was in motion again and the radio blared in the background as we made our way up the highway. I struggled to move, but my mind was helpless, trapped in my unresponsive body. I gave in and drifted off into dreamland.
***
When I awoke, I was surrounded by the darkness of night. I blinked several times trying to fight off the pounding of an excruciating headache. I