Chapter 4 - The White Volvo
Maya lowered her head until her forehead almost touched the salt shaker. Her tears were dripping onto the Formica, pooling in the tiny grooves of the worn laminate.
She swallowed hard, forcing her vocal cords to form the words she had been repeating over and over in her head during her six-mile run through the dark forests of Blackwood County.
"Listen to me," she hissed, her voice cracking under the strain. "Tomorrow at 8 PM... be aware of white Volvo near entry."
Arthur stiffened. He slowly lifted his head, his eyes widening as he looked at the blonde girl. "A white Volvo? What are you talking about? Whose car is that?"
"He's coming for the records," Maya whispered, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. "He thinks I brought them here. If you see it... if you see that car park by the double doors at eight o'clock... you don't talk to him. You don't look at him. You run out the kitchen back door and you don't stop until you cross the county line."
"Kid, you're scaring me," Arthur said, his hand instinctively reaching down to gently pat her shoulder. "You're in shock. You need a doctor."
"Eight o'clock!" Maya choked out, her voice rising slightly, catching the attention of a trucker sitting four booths down. She instantly clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes darting frantically around the room. "The white Volvo. It has a broken left taillight. Red tape over the plastic. Remember it. Please... if you want to live, remember it."
Arthur stared at her. The sheer, unadulterated conviction in her eyes was horrifying. This wasn't the rambling of a junkie or a broken street kid; this was the blind, desperate terror of a creature that had seen the inside of a slaughterhouse and knew the butcher was walking down the hall.
"Okay," Arthur whispered, trying to calm her. "Okay. Eight PM. White Volvo. Broken left light. I got it."
May you like
Maya let out a ragged sigh, her shoulders slumping as if the effort of delivering the warning had drained the last remaining reserves of her strength. She sank back into the red vinyl booth, her hands falling lifelessly into her lap.
She didn't notice the shadow hovering three booths away.
