He knew what city she was in, but not the exact address. He still had another day to figure that out. The hundreds of miles that were between them would be the same whether he knew his exact destination or not. Hours passed, and his fingers grew numb on the steering wheel as he sped down the highway. He kept the windows open despite the frigid air. He would close them long enough to warm up, but he wanted to feel the power of the wind. The sun had set, but all he could do was keep driving.

He jolted awake, hands moving before his mind could process it all. The low groan that his whole car made as it careened over the rumble strips, the headlights illuminating the grassy median, the pop that he felt like a gun shot fired into the night. But his hands moved first, and righted the car’s course in time. He pulled over onto the shoulder where he sat, unable to move for an unknowable amount of time.

At least until his breathing slowed, and his heart wasn’t pounding in his ears, he remained like this. Arms locked, hands twitching from gripping the steering wheel so tight. It was close to three in the morning. Once his breathing had returned to normal, he adjusted the rearview mirror. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a good look at his reflection.

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It didn’t look good. His eyes looked like they were retreating into his face, the skin in their wake was dark and distended. He was gaunt, his lips dried and cracked. It was a unique feeling of horror that made it hard to look at, but harder to look away.

Eventually, he was able to pull himself out of the car, and take stock of his situation. There was hardly a sound when he got out. In the time he had sat there, he hadn’t seen a single car drive by. It was strange how this feeling of isolation felt oddly familiar to Calvin. He used the flashlight on his phone to examine the car.

One of the front tires had blown out. He didn’t have a spare, and he knew that it was unlikely he would be able to change it even if he did. As the adrenaline began to fade, all he wanted to do was lean the seat back and go to sleep. No, that would only make things worse.

He called a tow truck, and then leaned back against the car. It was a cold night, and the wind knifed through his jacket, but he couldn’t bring himself to get back inside the car. His mind was stuck on that moment. When his eyes had opened, and he had gotten a glimpse into a parallel reality. He had driven through the metal barrier and flown down the grassy incline, a moment in free fall, and then his body crushed in the accordioned car.

Somehow, he had already been turning the wheel, already saving himself before he knew that he was heading for danger.