Eve looked around to make sure he was talking to her. Unsurprisingly, they were the only ones sprawled out on this stretch of road.
She stuck her thumb out towards the car. “That shitbox?”
“Don’t see any other ones,” the stranger spat, shifting slowly, taking stock of all his limbs. He was cradling one wrist, and blood had begun to seep from beneath his suit jacket, staining a filthy white shirt underneath. Injured. But not by her car.
“Here,” Eve breathed, crouching at his side, reaching out to help him. The man swatted her hands aside, sitting up with a low groan, and it felt like a tragic comment on Eve’s life that she didn’t even flinch.
The man did.
He recoiled as though burned, eyes grey as glass set within a face not entirely of this world. There was a bruise blossoming along one high cheekbone, black hair that had once been neatly parted covered in grime and hanging over his forehead. The thin line of a scar crossed diagonally over his lips and onto his chin from the left. For a fleeting breath, he gazed at Eve as though she held the radiance of the sun.
“You...” he breathed, lips parting with words unsaid. She held his eyes, careful to keep her face blank despite the incessant hammering of her heart.
Nothing.
She’d felt nothing, even when she’d touched the man directly. From such a distance, his anger and pain should have been a flood in her mind. Eve’s magic slid over smooth, blessed quiet, not a single, fleeting emotion leaking from his body and into hers.
How long had it been since she encountered something capable of suppressing her power?
Centuries. And it had never been human. The man still hadn’t moved, a statue amidst the dust mites glowing white in the car light. The gun lay heavy in her hand as she clicked the safety off, finger on the lever and the barrel pointed directly at the man’s head.
“What are you?” Eve demanded, voice hard and steady.
“Clearly very unlucky,” the man replied stiffly. His tone was low and smooth, but his eyes went colder, which Eve hadn’t thought was even possible. There was a tenseness in the line of his neck that had not been there before. Apprehension, maybe? There was no way to be sure. “Barely escaped with my life, and the only person I could possibly hitchhike with is clearly insane.”
Eve flicked the gun sideways, discharging it once, the sound of it echoing in the near silence of the pre-storm.
“Stop beating around the question.”
The man stirred, slowly as though not to startle her, lifting his arms submissively. The broadness of his shoulders strained beneath the pressed, fine fabric of his clothes.
“That was not my intention.” Something like anger scraped along Eve’s throat, raw and painful and entirely her own. Frustration, that she could not decipher the truth behind his words.
“Then what do you want?”
“A ride,” the man said, calm and quiet. “Though you have to admit that the state of your car is hardly encouraging. And what’s with all the paper?”
“You can see those?” Eve gawked. A quick glance back confirmed the magic was still in place. Her hands trembled, and the soft stillness of the stranger’s face was replaced by a lopsided smirk, lips curled back with some sort of twisted amusement. He reached for her, cold fingertips steadying her arms first before sliding gracefully to where she held the gun, pulling it forward until the barrel touched his skin.
“You’re going to miss like that.” There wasn’t a shred of doubt in that steely face. Eve cursed, yanking away from his touch, slipping the gun back into the belt around her hips.
“Crazy bastard.” He allowed her to pull away, palms back up by his head, as though that was going to help her feel more comfortable somehow.
“Next time, don’t look away from a stranger that could mean you harm,” came the snarky reply. “I could have disarmed you in the time it took you to turn your head.”
“If you could have done that, you would have tackled me to the ground already.”
“And if you wanted me dead, you would have left the safety off on your gun.” Eve sighed, the sound long and anxious, feeling the pressure of a migraine settle in her temples. Then she offered him a hand.
“Your name,” she asked, with a sense of finality, so that the question hung in the air as a demand.
“Samir,” the man said, taking her palm in one large hand and standing entirely without her help. Eve glared up at him. His legs were so long. Samir bent, so that they were at eye level, and raised her hand gently to his face. His lips brushed ever so lightly against her fingers. “A pleasure...”
“None of your business,” she barked, trying to pull away, a dusting of heat sprinkling the tops of her cheeks. Samir did not let go.
“Your name.” It was a demand, and not a question, one brow raised impatiently.
“Eve,” she spat, doing her best to ignore the smugness that had crept into Samir’s face as he released her. Her legs burned with the impulse to turn tail and run, but she did not want to grant the man that satisfaction. There was a pinch in the man’s brow, as though he could somehow sense the direction her thoughts had gone in.
“Eve,” he repeated, the words falling like melted sugar and dissolving amidst the silence. Then his face fell back into that cruel cunning he’d first had plastered all over him. “Does your car still function?”
“Nearly ran you over functionally enough, I would think,” Eve said dryly. “And don’t insult her. She’s aged and experienced.”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people that name your cars,” Samir scoffed, straightening to his full height. Her stomach dipped, tracing the athletic ease carved into his very bones, realizing that he likely could have disarmed her with very little effort.
“No,” Eve answered truthfully. She’d given up on that after the first handful of cars she’d gotten too attached to. “You said you needed a ride? Get in then.”
“Changed your mind about trusting me?”
“I can’t very well leave you wandering the highway in this state. You’re a danger to others.”
“There’s no one else out here,” Samir said.
“Get in,” Eve grumbled. “Before I change my mind.” That threat seemed more effective than all the past few combined. Samir nodded, stepping out in front of her. The roll of his gait was that of a man that had overcome his fear long ago, and he did not look back at her once as he walked away.
I should kill him, Eve thought. Kill him now, while he was confident enough that he had the upper hand.
There’s no way this was a regular human. Not if he was not only immune to her magic, but could see through it entirely. Still, Eve hesitated.
How long had it been since her mind was this quiet in the presence of another?
Something snaked around her heart, tugging lightly and leaving her throat tight. Exhaustion from her earlier fight still weighed heavily on her limbs, but it wasn’t what was causing this unfamiliar bitterness now. Eve looked out at the sky, at the flashes of lightning that had begun to fall more frequently, and felt lost.
“I’d recommend we get out of here, unless you’re trying to become a lightning rod on purpose,” Samir said, leaning on the open passenger’s side door. She’d forgotten to lock the car.
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From afar, she could see, properly and in total, the state the man was in. The tears in his clothing, and the blotchy, brown stains of dried blood peeking out from underneath. What exactly had happened to leave him in such poor condition?
It only took a half dozen steps to reach the Yaris, and a single, familiar movement to slip into the driver’s seat. Samir followed, the motion oddly practiced, as though he’d been in her car before.
“You probably think you’re clever,” she said, shoving her car in reverse so she could merge back into the right direction. “You have the face of someone who’s never been told they’re irritating.”
Samir shrugged, reaching out to fiddle with her radio controls, switching through several stations with a focused expression. Eve fought back a pinch of annoyance. He hadn’t even asked.
“I’m clever enough to have survived for this long, at least.”
“So you know when to keep your mouth shut,” Eve muttered.
There was a flash of headlights in her rearview mirror. Samir’s lips quirked upwards, the hint of a smile, but he remained silent. Despite herself, Eve ducked her head to hide a little smile.
The glow of the light grew brighter. Whoever was driving on the same road as them was in an awful hurry, to be gaining ground on them so fast. Eve frowned, reaching over to pull Samir’s hands away from the radio so she could shut it off entirely. It helped her focus.
Anger trickled in slowly. Hatred. A boiling, murderous intent, seeping from the car behind them, overwhelming in its strength. She struggled to count the threads of it from beneath her furious snarl (unintentional) and the odd sensation of being suckerpunched.
“Samir,” Eve said from behind gritted teeth, “what exactly did you say you escaped from?”
“Not a what,” Samir said, picking up on the odd shift in mood, eyes darting to the side mirror. “A who. I got in the way of a very angry man.”
“An important man?”
“Not in the civilized circles of the world.” Samir watched the rapidly approaching headlights. “Are we being followed?”
“I think so,” Eve replied quietly. She should have known. Nothing good had ever come out of her kindness. She should have left Samir back there to die. Who was to say this wasn’t all some sort of setup? She turned to the man, intending to give him a piece of her mind, but fell silent at the anxious set of his jaw. For the first time, Eve allowed herself to notice the bags beneath the man’s eyes, the pain he held tightly wrapped beneath his skin, the serious frown slipping across his mouth.
“Don’t let them catch us,” Samir echoed the softness of her tone. “I’m not in peak condition. I won’t be able to protect you.”
Eve’s foot slammed down on the pedal. The Toyota grumbled in protest. “For the record, I don’t trust you at all,” she muttered. “And I definitely don’t need your protection.”
“I don’t need you to trust me,” Samir hissed, twisting in his seat to stare out the back windshield. “I need you to drive faster.”
“It doesn’t go faster,”
“You know, a car chase is only a chase if both vehicles are functioning.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and find yourself a new ride then,” Eve growled. Samir looked at her from beneath long, dark lashes, and seemed only slightly apologetic.
“I take it back. Please don’t leave me here.”
“Don’t worry,” Eve said, keeping careful count of how long it would take their pursuers to catch up with them. “I have a plan. Duck down, Samir.”
“What?”
“Hide,” Eve ordered, shoving the man’s head down, effectively folding him in half to hide him from sight. It came so naturally that she didn’t think twice about touching the man until it was already too late, habit and fearful anticipation making her hands pause in his hair. Despite the filth, the raven strands were soft beneath her fingers.
Her heart and mind continued to be still and undisturbed.
Samir stayed in the awkward, twisted position even after she let go. Eve allowed the car to slow, then stop as she yanked the glove box open. The quiet vibrations of the engine faded. Samir looked up.
“You stopped? Why on earth would you do that?”
“Quiet.” Eve watched as the car - a Lincoln Continental, flashy tinted windows and all - went flying in front of them, then spun around. Four doors opened, and four men stepped out. Dark clothes and masks. Plus they had some serious firepower on them. She would put money on them being part of the mob. Inhaling, the rush of humid air in her nose less steadying than she would have hoped, Eve pulled out a tiny, crappy portable speaker. “Stay inside. Just….trust me.”
“An ambitious ask, coming from someone who doesn’t trust me at all.”
“I’ll take care of this. So just don't move.” Those clear eyes looked at her doubtfully. “Please,” she added, in hindsight, shutting the glove box with a click. He looked up at her, rather miserable in his awkward position, and after a pause of hesitation nodded, once.
Eve got out of the car.
Licking her dry lips and ignoring the nervous clenching of her gut, she set the speaker on the floor, giving it time to power up. The absolute, murderous rage she’d been swallowing down filled with something else - confusion - and Eve allowed herself a little pulse of satisfaction. It had been a long time since she’d sensed such passionate dislike.
Careful, Eve dug through her pockets, setting a little talisman the length of her pinky finger atop the speaker. A symbol was scribbled across one side. As the square black box powered up, the slip of paper glowed and stood wholly upright on its own, as though with static electricity.
The turning of guns in her direction was only slightly distracting. “You gonna dance for us, sweetheart?” Dimly, Eve realized they were all smiling. Cocky. Confident.
“Wasn’t planning on it,” Eve said hoarsely, not sure what she was trying to convey past the sudden, suffocating thrill that proceeded to push a hysterical little giggle across her lips. Excitement.
They were excited. The gleam in their eyes had changed in tone, turning darker, more animal.
Men were so easy.
Eve allowed their desire to pass through her and mix with the fury that had her fists tightly clenched. Then, like a thread through a needle, she shoved it all back out of her in a rush of sensation that burst towards that scrap of paper. The resulting blast of magic, expelled together with a coarse-sounding rendition of the Can Can by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra stung as it yanked at her body.
Their assailants only had time for a second of confusion before the will to fight went wholly out of them. Eve watched as the guns clattered to the floor, ignoring the strain of the spell that was burning in her bones. Eyes peeled back far enough to show the whites of their eyes, all four men swayed unsteadily, gazing somewhere far away. With each stanza, the shaking of their body intensified, and it wasn’t long until the numbing terror began to trickle towards Eve as well. She cringed at the impact, reeling as though she’d been struck, but walked shakily forward, collecting two rifles, a pistol, and a metal bat.
“What the fuck,” Samir said in a voice hardly louder than a whisper and from much closer to her than she’d realized. He waved a hand in front of a bulky man whose face was streaked with tears - as though testing to see if this was all a joke - and looked to her in quiet shock.
“Questions later,” Eve shoved the weapons into Samir’s hands, and then shoved Samir in the direction of the Lincoln. “Go on. We’ll take theirs.”
“And you?”
“Gotta make sure they can’t take mine,” she explained. There was an unsteadiness to her breath and a sheen of sweat by her temples. Samir’s attention lingered on the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
“I’ll help,” Samir said, in a tone that left no room for argument.
“Get in the car,” Eve snapped impatiently, knowing they were wasting time. “If we let them get back in, it’s all over.” She didn’t stop to see if he complied.
The song stretched on. Her fear was subsiding, slightly, just enough that she could wrap her mind around what she needed to do next.
There wasn’t much Eve still needed in the Toyota. Two bags - one for her tools, the other, her clothes. A third with some of the more valuable spell materials. Everything else could be replaced. She dragged them out, plastic rustling, leaving the remainder sitting in the trunk. Then she eyed the talismans. There were so many.
Why had she put so many of the blasted things on the car? She should have just thrown the lump of junk in the scrapyard at the first sign of engine failure.
Eve began with the most useful ones. First the four talismans that kept the wheels inflated. Then the one that kept the carburetor running. Then the one that kept the shell together. A clamoring sigh rose up above the music as the car sank down on its haunches, utterly useless.
“You,” came a hostile voice, and anger sprang up inside of her again. One of the more heavy-set men - his burly, tear-stained face looming over her - slammed her back against the Yaris doors. The breath fled from her lungs. A punch landed on her stomach. Eve cried out anxiously, knowing that her control of the spell had faltered further at the pain when the other three attackers began to stir.
Then the immense weight of the man was yanked sideways by the collar. Samir pulled back with casual, confident strength, and slugged the man across the face.
“Get back in the car,” Eve managed to say, voice high and panicked, stooping to grab the bags. Samir ignored her. Practiced, elegant movements, too smooth for how tall the man was. Two more hits across the face. One in the stomach - with more force than before. A sweep along the back of the knee, and the other man was on the floor. The blows continued without reprieve. “Samir,” she said, flinching at a sound that was unmistakably something breaking. “Let’s go.”
Samir paused long enough to spit on the crumpled body, looking all at once just as calm and collected as before. Eve supposed it was somewhat cathartic to beat the shit out of someone that had wanted to kill you. His hands weren’t even bruised as he took from Eve the bags she was holding and slunk back to the other car.
He was oddly quiet as she climbed in next to him. The final notes of the classical piece faded behind her as Eve shut the door.
“Box much?” Eve asked, craning her neck, peeling back out onto the road, much faster than before.
“Some,” Samir nodded.
Behind them, the Toyota’s headlight winked out for the final time and concealed the scene they’d left behind in total darkness.