Page 44 of Dawn of the Pack

The sarcasm is thick in her voice, and Jared chuckles. I assume this is a speech their mom gave them before road trips.

“Hearing none, let’s go!”

She pulls forward and the garage door opens smoothly ahead of her, letting bright morning light into the cavernous space. The windows in the back of the van are dark, almost black, blocking most of the scenery outside. To a casual observer, it probably appears Sasha is alone in her van.

When we pull out completely we join a long line of vehicles, including the three identical black SUVs I saw closest to the house. As if they received a signal, the line moves forward and we roll out in a ragtag convoy of sorts. The cars remain in order until we reach town, and then they splinter off in every direction, even some that enter neighborhoods and will eventually end up in the same places.

As we’d planned, Sasha takes a circuitous route that wanders up to her and Jared’s house, pausing there for a few minutes before pulling out and heading toward Smoky Falls College. Even though Sasha graduated last year, she works part time as a teaching assistant and could theoretically be going in to work today.

She parks in the faculty lot and shuts the van off, leaving us in the vehicle to wait while she walks to the nearest building. A few moments later she returns, and we continue on our way.

All in all, it takes a good forty-five minutes before we head away from Smoky Falls toward Shuya’s house. The car is silent, the air thick with tension when we cross the magical line that protects Smoky Falls.

Out here we’re unprotected. Out here, we’re on our own.

Well, us and the security team trailing us by about half a mile. Jared watches out the windows intently, switching between gazing ahead and behind us. He sends a few texts to the follow car and waits for a response.

When his phone vibrates a relieved expression takes up residence on his face. “Security said the only vehicle that was on the road behind us out of Smoky Falls turned off. So we’re not being followed.”

As if he let the air out of a balloon, the tension deflates, and the atmosphere becomes noticeably more relaxed.

Milo’s arm drapes across the back of the seat, his fingers toying with my hair. I lean into his body, releasing a heavy sigh.

Even though everyone has relaxed a little, the van is still silent. Every road noise is clearly audible, even the thunk sound of the tires hitting a divot in the pavement.

Jared clears his throat, and says in a serious tone, “Hey Landon, did you hear about that guy on the track team at school who was afraid of the hurdles?”

Landon’s response is hesitant, as if he’s not sure where this is going. “No…?”

Jared continues seriously. “Yeah, he’s a great athlete, but this was a big problem for him. No worries, though, he got over it.”

There’s a long, pregnant pause while we all think about it, and then Landon bursts out laughing.

“Holy shit, he actually did it,” Milo comments.

“Did what? Got a new joke?” I tease, realizing a beat later that I’d sarcastically hit the nail on the head.

“No, he finally delivered a joke without ruining it before he could even deliver the punchline.”

“You’re right, he did. Good job, Jared!”

“It was still a lame joke,” Milo adds quickly, “but your delivery is improving.”

“Thank you, thank you!” Jared grins back at us, dark eyes sparkling below the bill of his SFC cap. “You know how big a zebra is?”

Milo and I exchange a concerned glance. “Not exactly,” he answers. “Why?”

“It’s a few sizes bigger than an ‘A’!” Jared chortles at his own joke with delight. “Get it? A ‘Z’ bra?”

“A brief, shining moment,” Milo comments sarcastically, “and then he’s right back to normal.”

“Wait, let me try another one.” Jared shifts in his seat to launch into another joke.

“No, no, no!” Sasha calls from the driver’s seat. “I can’t take any more. I’m putting on some music.”

She turns some dials and soon enough pop music plays over the speakers.

Jared turns back around in his seat and drops his gaze to the phone in his hand.

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