Meeting Jobie (Short story-canon)

  I am by no means a good writer, and I am still learning.  Stories in the future will likely be longer and more detailed, this is a test run.

   The roll of road against rubber had faded as the night carried on. It had felt longer than the three boys had expected, the humming of an engine now background noise in the silence that lingered in the car. A gentle tune hummed pridefully from the radio, providing a tease of entertainment during the three hour drive. Three hours, only three hours. The ride there had been far easier than the now dragging journey back through the woods. Perhaps the forest had stretched itself farther since the last time they had been in it, or perhaps time’s arrow was taking a stroll rather than a jog this evening.

   Ace’s dull gaze watched the trees, his thin spindly body curled in the passenger's seat, Gene’s quilt wrapped around him comfortably. It provided a layer of comfort from the slight anxiety that leaked from his heart, the lack of street lights allowing his mind to tease him with cruel visions. Perhaps the car would break down and they would be plunged into darkness, lost hopelessly in the woods.  The thought made his heart gently leap, his green eyes squinting into the lines of bark as though suspicious of a creature lurking within.

   Despite the front lights of the car that stretched forward, he felt no comfort in them. They made the trees appear as though they were moving faster, the shadows unable to keep up as they zipped by his window. Even more worrisome, he would catch sight of himself in his own window on occasion. To make eye contact with one’s self was always an incredibly unexpected and uncomfortable experience.

   He pulled the quilt closer to his body, allowing the release of a gentle sigh through his nose. Perhaps it was a rude thing to greedily clutch the quilt like this. It hadn't even been for him, Gene’s mother having crafted it for him while they were visiting.

    A warm hand pressed against the soft linen quilt, giving Ace’s knee a welcoming squeeze. Despite the stream of worry in his mind, Ace felt an ease of the spiraling as he glanced at his dearest Gene, who stared forward into the woods. Perhaps the woods were familiar to him, far more familiar then they were to Ace. His face was drained of light, eyes lacking the subtle sparkle they usually had.

   “One more hour.” He muttered, his voice having a slight rasp to it. Ace adored the rasp that danced in Gene’s tone when he hadn't spoken for some time. How it made Gene's chest vibrate when they woke up in the morning, and Ace could feel it rumble against his ear.

   “Okay, thank you” Ace responded back, his tone far sweeter.

   “How ya doin back there?” Gene asked, adjusting the front mirror down to see a scruffy silhouette.

   Rory took a slow breath in, his back arching slightly and his arms raising as he began to stretch. It seemed Gene's words brought him to life, the rugged lad having been dozing off. His back gave a harsh pop, and he let out a rough chuckle, reaching back to rub his spine.

   “Oh fuck man- did you hear that?” He asked, the sleepy smile hearable in his voice. “Hey I don't want to alarm anyone-'' He started, and both boys felt an unease rise, for they already knew what was coming, “-but I have to pee real bad. Real bad man, we can stop for a minute, let nature have some Rory essence.”
“Oh- god, Rory.” Ace sighed, gently placing a hand over his face.

   “We were at a gas station half an hour ago.” Gene gruffly added, his tone calm.

   “Right you are.” Rory chuckled, now shuffling around in the dark of the backseat. “Oh- hold on I found a water bottle.”

   “Rory!” Ace exclaimed, “Oh god- put that down! You're not peeing in a cup, we can stop.”

   “No no it's all good, I think it's uh…” He muttered, twisting open the cap to the clear empty bottle. “Yea, it's empty man.”

   “Rory, that's not why-” Ace started before cutting himself off, “Gene!?”

   Gene let out a low sigh through his nose as he blindly reached his arm back, his thick hand grasping around in the dark for a supposed water bottle.

   “Lay off man it's mine” Rory said, the sound of a zipper being undone only further alarming Ace.

   “Rory!” He scolded.

   Gene adjusted himself to be looking back at the silhouette sitting in his car. He blindly stretched out his arm again, gripping what felt to be a wrist.

   “Lay off-” Rory giggled.

    “We’ll find a gas station.”

   “No this saves time, you'll thank me later.”

   “You can't see anything.”

   “Nah nah, I can see in the dark-”

    “-No you can't.”

   Gene reached an aimless hand over and over, only getting it shoved and slapped away by the stubborn pot head trying to stain the leather of his car seats.

   “Oh my god.” Ace groaned as he looked forward again, his hand reaching up to slide down his face.

   He took in a slow breath as he looked to the road again, the bickering beside him mixing into the sound of the rolling tires and the radio. The trees continue to shoot by the car, disappearing behind them into the depths of the distant forest. However, there was a change in the pattern, a thing emerging. He leaned forward, his brows furrowing slightly as he studied the object coming closer at an alarming rate.

   Was it moving? Yes, it was going across the road. It was a thing, a living thing.

   “Gene,” Ace started, feeling his heart pick up. “Gene?” He urged again, raising his voice just slightly.

   The thing was nearer, the beams of the car hitting the silhouette just as it was moments away. It was a boy, a boy with a white face and terrified expression. His eyes were wide, his hair ratted and messed. He looked like a creature caught in a runaway, like a deer.

   “Oh- God! Gene, it’s a person!” He yelled, Gene turning forward with a plastic bottle now gripped in his hand.

   Despite the screech of brakes, the thud of the car hitting the boy was far louder then Ace had expected it to be. The force of the boy’s body could be felt from within the car, and the sight of him tumbling past them on the road was a terror in itself. Within those moments, within only a few seconds, Ace knew they had killed him. Seeing his lifeless corpse hit the ground was proof enough.

   Despite the panic one may feel in having just hit another human, Gene’s hands gripped the stick and pressed it into park, then immediately flung open the door. Ace could hear the crunch of his boots on the dirt road as he jogged over to the boy. Ace opened his door, standing on one foot while the other stayed within the car.

   There laid the boy, sprawled out on the road with a limp neck as Gene carefully raised him to press an ear to his chest. He appeared small and frail, but perhaps most things looked that way when you fear you’ve just killed them.

   “Is he?...” Ace called with an anxiety waving his voice.

   “No.” Gene called back just as Rory stepped out on the other side of the car.

   “So,...” Ace called again, unsure if they both meant the same thing. Did it mean ‘No, he's not alive’, or ‘no, he's not dead.’

   “He’s alive.” Gene called back, raising himself with the boy now flopped in his arms.