Highway Home

“So are you going to tell us what we’re doing?” Andy’s voice is distorted through the CV radio.

“We are doing a job for an old… business partner.” Solace responds.

“Nancy, right?” Cas chimes from the back seat.

“You said her name was Nancy right?” Andy asks.

Taking the speaker from Solace, Cas yells back, “that’s what I asked.”

“Well you didn’t press the button thing, how am I supposed to hear anything?”

“Boys, stop bickering.” Jacob says annoyed. They’ve been driving for twenty-four hours, and the best moment was a drag race Cas and Edgar had. Then they got pulled over and nearly arrested.

“You guys don’t listen to me, do you? Her name is Nancy and she has information about Byron, but before I can get it I have to find some people for her.”

“Yeah no one pressed the button.” Andy says.

“Nancy. Her name is Nancy and I have to do shit to get shit, got it?”

“Thank you for pressing the button.”

They all quiet down as the border into Virginia comes into view. The highway is lonely enough that Solace hits the gas and barrels across at well over the limit. Andy, surprisingly, is keeping pace. The frustration ebbs away as the group cheers for the car they’re in. friends again, and all they needed was a little wind in their hair.

“Howdy, you folks are driving mighty fast.” A man’s voice come on in both cars. “Don’t you know we take our speed laws seriously here in Virginia?”

“Up there, it’s a remote controlled quadcopter.” Cas points it out hiding in the brightening clouds.

“Hello to you too, Cas. Some one sure has a good eye. Well we know you’re coming to collect us for Nancy. But you see if we go with you, we don’t get paid for bringing you all in. and we just haven’t had a bad job since we was new to this game.”

“Which brother am I talking to?” Solace asks into the speaker.

“The good looking one. Now I advise you to take the next exit, I know the sign says road work but just go around it and follow the cones. We’ll talk when you get here.”

The line cuts, the copter keeps its distance, solace can feel the rest of the group itching to ask more questions.

“We’re after the McWrither brother, who just so happen to be after me.”

“I distinctly heard him say he had to take us all in.” Jacob says pulling himself over the front seat to look at Solace.

“Yeah, I think the bounty just went up.” Cas says lighting a cigarette.

“PUSH THE FUCKING BUTTON!” Andy’s voice carries across the wind and into the other car.

“Pull over.” Jacob says into the Speaker.

The two cars head for the right shoulder, they all get out and Solace explains what happened. Edgar busies himself with his binoculars while Jacob and Solace argue about this new piece of information.

“How could it just slip your mind that these guys were after us?”

“It didn’t slip my mind Jacob, I just didn’t think it was important.”

“What the hell is wrong with you Solace?” Patricia yells.

“Dude you were going to let us go in blind?” Cas asks.

“No, I just didn’t think―”

“We know you didn’t, that’s the problem.” Jacob says looking over at Edgar.

“I told you all to stay back at the club.”

“The fact that you honestly thought we’d let you go on your own is a bit hurtful.” Andy syas.

“What do you see, Ed.” Cas calls out.

“Nothing.”

“Good nothing or bad nothing”

“We are on an interstate highway at six in the morning, and I haven’t see a single vehicle in over five miles.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Solace says looking up at the RC copter still overhead. “Get in the cars, now. Hurry your slow asses into the cars.”

As soon as the doors close, Solace and Andy race away. The first exit they come to is blocked by a fallen sign, the next is blocked by a flaming car. The closer they get, the worse the destruction. They find the road work sign, go around and follow the cones. Cas keeps a close eyes on the copter, that it until it shatters in the air.

“Gun fire, Gun fire, Pull off the road!” he yells into the speaker. Both cars veer and disappear into the forest surrounding the highway.

Cas and Teller get out of their cars, rifles in hand, and survey the area. Cas signals her into the trees, after a minute she lands next to him and points to the south of them. A small group of people emerge, holding guns of their own. A woman, she looks like their leader, lowers her weapon and waits for them to move.

Cas sneaks a glance at Solace, who slowly gets out of the car with his gun out of view. “Is there a problem?”

“Sure there is, bringing that buzzard near our camp.”

“What happened here?”

“Them McWrither brothers happened.”