The Pain of Reality

          The darkness stretched out before him like an inky blanket tossed over the world. Kyle couldn't believe he was stranded like this. He kicked a rock, cursing himself for not staying with Brandon and Shaun. His hand reached to his pocket and produced a cell phone. Dead.

         Stretched out along the side of the road were miles and miles of desert wilderness; he had no idea what was ahead of him. Sighing with frustration, he trudged along, ignoring the beads of sweat dripping from his auburn hair.

          On the way home after a vacation in the mountains, he and his friends stopped at an expensive diner for a quick lunch. In the rush to get back on the road, Kyle neglected to answer nature's call, and they ended up having to stop again a few hours later so he could use the rest room.

         Brandon pulled into a small gas station in the middle of nowhere, and Kyle quickly left the car to do his business. It didn't take him long, but when he returned, there was no sign of Shaun or Brandon. Kyle waited by the car for a few minutes, then went inside to see if they'd gone in to get some snacks or something to drink.

          He made a thorough search of the small store, and saw no sign of either of his friends. Something must have happened, he told himself. They wouldn't just walk away like that.

          But the fact remained they were gone, and here he was all alone, walking aimlessly down a deserted road. The man at the gas station refused to let him use the phone, even though he begged and pleaded that it was an emergency. Kyle was appalled by the man's insensitivity. After waiting for a few hours for his friends to return, he finally decided to give up and walk to the next gas station, even if it was miles away.

          As he stumbled over the crest of a hill, he saw the twinkle of headlights in the distance. The car rumbled closer and Kyle noticed it beginning to slow. He jogged up to the old box shaped car, its rusted bumper hanging loosely on the front. He hesitated and took a deep breath before approaching the silhouetted man in the driver seat. The window creaked noisily as he rolled it down.

          Sitting lazily behind the wheel was a stringy haired man, puffing on a cigarette. His greasy hair fell onto his shoulders in thin strands. Dark lines were etched into his aged face, crinkling up every time he took a puff. He exhaled in a violet plume of smoky tendrils. "What are you doing out here-- all alone?" asked the man, casting his eyes up and down the lonely street. "It ain't safe you know." His cigarette bobbed in his mouth as he spoke.

          Kyle looked apprehensively at the dingy man; he definitely didn't want to ride with him anywhere. But he couldn't continue walking out here, he might never make it home. "I just need a ride."

         With a nod, the man leaned over and unlocked the passenger door. After he cleared a spot off the seat, Kyle plopped down and lit up his own cigarette.

          "Name's Charlie."

          "Kyle." He looked around the front seat of the car, it was filled with all sorts of burger wrappers and discarded cigarette packs.

          "Where you headed?" Charlie asked as he accelerated down the dusty road.

          "Well, actually I just need a ride to the next gas station." Kyle said, taking a long drag from his cigarette.

          "Nonsense! Where you need to go? I'll take you there."

          Kyle shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't even know how far he was from home. The thought of being back in his own bed did make him feel a bit better though... But what about his friends? He couldn't just go home without finding out what happened to them. "No-- I think I should just get to a phone."

          "If that's what you want, just trying to be friendly." Charlie said, looking insulted. Kyle didn't care, he just wanted to get back to his friends. "I got a cell phone anyway."

          Charlie reached into the back seat and retrieved a small cell phone encased in black leather. He tossed it into Kyle's lap. Kyle just sat there, staring at the cell phone. It looked oddly familiar. With shaking fingers, he flipped it open to see Brandon's name glimmering on the display. He nervously cast a glance at Charlie. Why does he have Brandon's phone? he thought, the feeling of dread building up inside him.

          "What's wrong?" Charlie asked, looking over at the cell phone.

          "N-nothing" Kyle didn't know what to do, so he just dialed Shaun's cell phone number and hoped for an answer. The ringing sounded strange, like he could hear it with both of his ears. He turned to look at Charlie, who had grown pale. Kyle took the cell phone away from his ear. He could still hear the melody of Shaun's ringer, somewhere in the back of the car. His heart leapt into his throat. What's going on? Charlie was biting his lip now and flicking his eyes over toward Kyle.

          With a sharp turn they veered off the road and onto the bumpy dirt. The car bounced violently as they careened over rocks and holes.

          "You're going with me!" shouted Charlie, a maniacal gleam dancing in his eyes. Small pebbles dashed against the sides of the car, making it hard to hear.

          "Where are they? What did you do with them?" Kyle screamed, launching an assault of adrenaline powered punches. Charlie weaved violently, trying to block Kyle's blows. Charlie slammed hard on the brakes and stopped, causing Kyle to slam against the dash. As Kyle scrambled back into the seat, Charlie whipped out a thin bladed knife and pressed it to his throat.

          "Don't move, don't speak, don't cry. Don't do anything unless I tell you. Tonight we're going to have some fun. After we dispose of these two."

          "What do you mean?" Kyle asked, hoping it wasn't what he thought. His chest heaved up and down as he breathlessly looked for a way out.

          "Why don't you come have a look?" Charlie smiled, opening the door. He stood up and backed away, motioning with the knife for Kyle to climb over the driver seat. Keeping a close eye on Kyle, Charlie led him around to the back of the car. "You want to see?"

          Kyle frowned and shook his head, eyes brimming with tears. "You bastard..." Charlie chuckled and jammed a key into the trunk, opening it with a sickening pop. Lying gutted and bruised were Brandon and Shaun; their faces were both trapped in an expression of horror, their soulless eyes staring up Kyle. Charlie quickly lifted them out of the trunk and cast their dead bodies at Kyle's feet. He cried out, tears streaming down his face. He felt as if his heart were about to burst. "Why? Why did you do this?! They did nothing to you!" Kyle stepped back, threatening to run.

          "It's not what they've done to me boy, but what they've done to the world! You young people are all guilty of the same thing!" Charlie spat, his hair whipping madly around his face. He stalked over to Kyle and grabbed him by the arm. "You all just sit there, day in and day out. You don't care what happens to anyone else; it doesn't matter to you unless you gain some benefit!" Kyle wished desperately to break free from the man, but the deadly knife kept taunting him, almost begging him to try and run.

          "So you just kill them?! For selfishness?" Kyle asked, infuriated by his friends' cold blooded murder.

          "Selfishness? No-- It's because you have lost the ability to feel. It's because of your friends' detachment from reality that their blood has been shed tonight. Let me ask you-- What's more real than the cold blade of a knife ripping through you... torturing your every sense with excruciating pain?"

          Kyle spat in Charlie's face, enraged. Charlie winced, then raised the knife over his head, bringing it rushing down to Kyle's head. He twisted to the side, out of Charlie's grip. With the force of a bull, he scooped the demented man up and drove him into the ground. The knife clattered across the hard packed earth. They rolled and tumbled across the tufts of grass poking up through the patches of rough dirt.

          Kyle jammed his knee into Charlie's ribs, making him gasp for breath. He stood up, driving the toe of his hard boot into the man's face in an explosion of blood. Seeing that the car was still running, he made a dash for it. He jumped in and slammed his foot against the pedal. As the car picked up speed, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about leaving his friends' bodies behind. He promised himself he would return to claim them.

          His eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror. The trunk was still wide open, and peeking up over the top of the trunk's door was Charlie. He must have jumped in just in time! Kyle thought, desperately weaving in hopes of knocking Charlie out of the open trunk. Realizing it wasn't going to be done, he just continued driving, hoping to reach some sign of civilization. He checked the rearview mirror again just in time to see Charlie duck down over the lid of the trunk and take a seat.

          The dust and the darkness mixed, almost making it impossible for Kyle to see as he and Charlie sped across the bumpy earth. Up ahead, he could see the bright flashing light of a gas station. As he grew closer, he could see that it was the same gas station his friends had been taken from. A cruel but justified thought came to him. He slammed on brakes and threw it in reverse. He sped backwards across the ground, trying to build up as much speed as possible.
When the car had finally reached its limit, he rose both his feet and jammed hard on the brake, closing the trunk and trapping Charlie inside. He smiled as he flicked the gear back into drive. The gas station loomed ahead, like a beacon of light. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he listened to the screams of the evil man in the trunk. He smiled.

          The car bounced wildly as he drove down a steep embankment and onto the paved parking lot. Brandon's car was still there, sitting alone in a parking space. He drove over to the gas pumps and shut the car off. The loud cries and thumps of a desperate man emanated from the trunk as Kyle got out of the car.

          "Let me outta here you bastard! I'll rip you to pieces--"

          "Now, now, I wouldn't be saying that if I were you. Remember I'm the one holding the gasoline." Silence came from the closed trunk.

          "You've got what?"

          "Gas-- and lot's of." Kyle said, patting his hand against the steel pump.

          "You wouldn't--"

          "Of course I would. It's to make you feel reality again right?" And with that he began pouring the potent gasoline all over the trunk, making sure it dripped down into the cracks of the disheveled car. He moved around to the front and began dousing the seats and everything in-between. Charlie was pounding desperately against the trunk, begging for mercy.

          "Please, don't do this! I'm a sick man-- I need help!"

          Kyle tapped against the side of the car. "I ask you-- what's more real than feeling your skin bubble while the smoke suffocates your lungs?" Kyle struck a single match, and tossed it into the car, igniting it into a magnificent blaze. He turned and sprinted to Brandon's car, where he managed to find a spare set of keys hidden in the dash. The burning car was now engulfed in flames. Kyle started the engine, spinning wheels as he passed the raging inferno. He climbed the steep embankment and sped off back into the night. I'm coming for you... both of you. Kyle thought as his sorrow welled up inside of him.

          He took one last look into the rearview mirror and smiled at the glorious pyre of justice that exploded into the sky.