(Quintiles 29, 59 / 8:16PM)

(Luke, Miles, Jack, and Stan)

(Miles) Where are we going exactly?

(Jack) All we need to do is try to listen to the comms right? If we use it, we could track down where those two maniacs are.

A large van paved the murky four-lane highway. Looking around the freeway, the four men took in the emptiness of the lanes, as no cars or trucks were there to block their flow.

With litter and glass all around the highway, Jack, the driver, kept his eyes peeled as he soon noticed the abundance of many suitcases around the white dotted lines of each lane, doing sharp turns left and right.

(Stan) Hey Jack! Can you not do a sharp turn for one minute?!

(Jack) Hey, I’m doing my best here!

(Luke) Have you guys found anything yet about both Harold and Ryan?

(Miles) Not much, just a bunch of radio transmissions from some unlucky soldiers…

Miles, looking down at the radio box in his hand, had on black headphones, the wire connecting to the radio box as he turned the knob left and right. Since he was in the passenger seat, he had control over the radio. Luke and Stan noticed his hands trembling as he listened through the radio comms.

Both of them looked at each other, giving each other a sigh as they put their hands onto their foreheads, shaking their heads. Looking outside through the window, they couldn’t describe much as the night sky dimmed the skyline of the city.

(Luke’s thoughts) And we still haven’t found both of them… can we catch them at this rate?

Luke folded his arms as he started to look down onto the van floor, tapping the floor with his left heel repeatedly. Pushing his folded arms onto his chest, he crouched forward as he continued to eye the crusted floor of the van, feeling the humidity around him.

(Luke’s thoughts) Why do they want to kill us so badly? Are they brainwashed to do so? Are they doing it for revenge?

Stan noticed Luke’s focused face as he turned the other way, looking out through the window of the van. Putting his right hand on the window, he took a slow breath in, holding in the air in his lungs as his chest expanded outwards. He exhaled back out, the palms and tips of his fingers trickling the glass window, his eyes and face pushed down.

(Stan’s thoughts) I came a long way, and for what? Am I going to face my problems head-on?

(Miles) Hey, I’m getting an incoming transmission! It’s one talking about Harold and Ryan!

(Jack) Oh shit! Take off the wire so we can listen through!

Miles used his right hand to take off his headphones, putting them down on his lap. Using his left hand, he unplugged the wire that connected the radio box to the headset, while at the same time, using his right hand, turning the volume of the box to its limit.

The static cleared up almost instantly, as both Luke and Stan got out of their thought trance, making them stand up to put their heads close to the little hole in between Miles and Jack. With all of the boys leaning close to the radio box, their faces started to coat with hot sweat, the humidity of the van increasing in temperature.

(Woman on the Radio) We got two wackos going through the north side of the downtown district! I repeat! We have those two wackos going through the north side of the downtown district!

Everyone turned their attention to Jack. Putting his left hand on Jack’s right shoulder, Miles focused his eyes on the right side of Jack’s head.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

(Miles) What highway are we on?

(Jack) Sorry, but I don’t know my lanes and such.

(Miles) And you’re considered to be the best driver out of the group!

(Jack) Driver, not navigator…

Miles let go of Jack’s shoulder, clenching his left hand as he turned his attention away from Jack. Looking to his right onto the skyline of the city, he shook his head as he sighed, his lungs expanding outwards.

Luke however leaned his face into the little hole in between both Jack and Miles, having his face towards Miles.

(Luke) Hey Miles, give me the map from the passenger glove department!

(Miles) On it!

Miles settled the radio box onto the middle seat where both he and Jack were sitting. Opening the glove compartment, Miles looked through the stacks upon stacks of papers that flooded the entire station, going through them with difficulty.

(Mile’s thoughts) Just how disorganized is Gwen!?

Struggling to look for the map of Lagefor, Miles started to grind his teeth together as his fingers brushed past the papers. Luke, having a bead rolling down his left temple, gave Miles a confused stare, his face pushing down as his eyes started to squint.

(Luke) Do you need help?

(Miles) I don’t know how you can help, but can you at least try to point out if the map is located in these stupid papers?

(Luke) Uhh Miles, the map is on the bottom of the stack of papers…

(Miles) What?

Turning his head towards Luke, Miles’s breath was trapped in his throat.

Miles looked through the stacks of papers again, this time, going for the one that was located right at the bottom. Pulling out a brown large paper from the bottom of the stack, Miles’s face darkened as his hand trembled softly.

(Mile’s thoughts) Just fucking kill me…

(Miles) Here…

Putting the map into Luke’s hand, Miles turned around to sit back down in his seat, straightening his back as he looked straight at the highway, his eyes focused on the skyline to get his mind off of things.

Luke opened the map, seeing the detailed version of the entire layout of the city of business. His eyes as well as Stan’s sparkled as they took note of the many districts around the city.

(Luke) From where we all originated from, we came out of the bar on the south side of the city. And the battles as of now are Benn and Hope on the south side of the downtown district, David and the others at the industrial center in the east, Luna and Gwen at the northern side of the downtown district, and Fred, Gary, and Diego defending the military complex to the west.

Pointing to each district on the map, Luke’s finger caressed the lining of the old brown paper.

(Jack) Just one question. Why is Lagefor considered hilly if there aren't that many hills?

(Luke) The hills are mostly on the northern side of the city, where most of the rich and upper middle-class people live. The hills sort of curve at the ends of the west and the east side of the city, making the city look only accessible to the south.

(Stan) Yet the international highway runs up north of the city and straight through the downtown center…

Luke and Stan paused as they tried to find the highway that all of them were on. Pointing to a specific one, Luke’s eyes widened as he looked up towards Stan, his face dropping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

(Luke) I think we’re on the northern highway, the hills to the north are to the left of us, and the skyline to the right of us, so…

(Jack) Oh shit. Then does that mean those two maniacs are close by?!

Jack gripped the steering wheel, looking around the city as the darkness clouded their visibility. Having his right hand on the steering wheel, he used his left hand to engage his high beams.

Miles, on the other hand, looked around the skyline to his right, not seeing anything unusual from the buildings. Placing the palm of his hand onto his right cheek, he focused his eyes on the high-rising buildings, most notably the highest tower in the city, the Zirardge Tower.

(Stan) Hey, you guys seeing this? It looks like a pack of wolves? And…they’re multiplying?

Luke looked up from the brown map to see Stan staring through the back window.

(Luke) Wait, let me see…

Luke pressed his head towards the back window, noticing the group of wolves rushing closer towards the van. Squinting through the darkness, he noticed that the wolves had their nuzzles drooling with saliva.

(Luke) Uh oh.

(Stan) What?

(Luke) Those aren’t normal wolves…

(Miles, Jack, Stan) Oh shit.

Miles looked towards the right edge mirror to his side, followed by Jack to the left edge mirror, both their faces turning pale. Luke, continuing to eye the wolf pack, noticed that a figure wasn’t present in the pack…

(Luke’s thoughts) But where’s Harold, where could he be—

The door to the van suddenly opened, unleashing an extraordinary amount of air out.

Being sucked out of the van, Luke yelped as he was about to fall onto the asphalt until his collar was grabbed by Stan. Hanging on by a thread, Luke put his arms onto Stan’s right arm, not letting go as Stan held onto the van’s emergency wire with his left hand.

Seeing Stan keeping Luke an inch away from his life, Miles put his head into the little hole, his face drenching with sweat.

(Miles) Holy shit!

(Jack) Things can’t get any worse—

Sounds of footsteps crashed on top of the van, causing all four boys to gulp.