The December Featured Writer is Jacob Gerstel

Please feel free to contact Jacob at: gersteljacob@yahoo.com

NIGHT DRIVE
by Jacob Gerstel

“You should turn around and head back.”

That was the third time Dean said that to me, and it was really getting on my nerves. “I don’t really like Theo that much,” I said back, keeping my eyes on the road in front of me. “I’d rather not hang out with him.”

“But we’re not gonna hang out with him,” Dean said. “We’re gonna go there to mess with him. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“You have a weird idea of fun.”

“It’s not like we have anything better to do.”

“Only because you didn’t hold up your end of the bargain,” Jack said from the back seat.

Dean sighed. “Working at the theater isn’t always a guaranteed way of getting tickets. Be happy you can see free movies at all.”

“It’s still your fault,” I said. “And now we have nothing to do.”

“I’m giving you something to do. Even Jack thinks we should go see Theo.” Dean turned around to look at Jack. “Right, Jack?”

Jack shrugged, running a hand through his blonde hair. “I don’t have a better idea.”

“See?” He looked at me in that annoying way that says I have no real argument. “You should turn around and head back to Theo’s house. We won’t be there long, I promise.”

“Fine,” I said, pulling my car into a left-turn lane to make a u-turn. “But I don’t wanna waste the whole night talkin’ to Theo Tolson. Let’s keep it to a minimum.”

“Done,” Dean said.

I turned around and headed towards Theo’s house.

I would regret that decision for the rest of my life.

*****

Theo lived in a suburban neighborhood that was neither too rich nor too poor. His house was near identical to all the other houses on Blackberry Lane. I drove slowly down the street, trying my best to remember which specific house was Theo’s. I was about halfway down the street when Dean pointed to my right and said, “There it is. The one with the basketball hoop.”

I noticed it too late, seeing only an open window on the second floor with a blue light emanating from it. “Missed it,” I said, driving further up. “I’ll turn around.”

I turn right onto a cul-de-sac that braches off from Blackberry Lane and turn around. “So, are we just gonna ding-dong ditch him?” Jack asked.

“Maybe,” Dean said. “I thought we could park a little bit away and I’ll text him something like: We’re watching you. Then, as he goes outside to check we can come out and—”

Dean stopped mid-sentence. I looked and saw Theo standing in his driveway, staring directly at us. “How the hell did he…” Jack started.

“Must’ve seen us from his window or something,” I said. It was the only explanation I could think of at the time.

“Shit, our cover’s blown. Better just park and get out,” Dean said.

I parked the car on the sidewalk next to his house and we all got out. As we approached him, I saw that he was texting on his cell phone.

“Hey Theo, what’s up?” Dean said.

“What’re you guys doing here?” he asked, not looking up from his phone.

“We just decided to stop by and say hello,” Jack said. “How’ve you been?”

I meant it when I said that I didn’t really like Theo. With his long, unkempt black hair, introverted personality, and love of everything metal, he was just about my polar opposite. Still, we weren’t on unfriendly terms and I did know him throughout most of high school, so I acted polite enough and said hello. He nodded slightly at my presence, but kept his eyes on his phone.

“Who’re you talking to?” Dean finally asked.

At that moment, Theo snapped his phone shut and crammed it into the pocket of his ripped jeans. “Just a friend. Don’t worry about it. So why are you guys here again?”

“Just stopped by to say hello,” Jack repeated. “We haven’t seen you in a while, and were wondering how you’ve been.”

We engaged in small talk for a little bit in his driveway. I mostly stayed quiet and let Dean and Jack do the talking. It was their idea, let them deal with it. Though it soon became clear to me that with the surprise (and therefore fun) lost, Dean was looking for an excuse to leave.

Then, about five minutes later, a gray car drove up.

I assumed it was just a stranger, but the car parked next to mine, and a lanky man with close-cropped brown hair got out and walked towards us. Theo smiled at the sight, waving and saying, “There you are. What took you so long?”

The man waved in response. “Caught every light on the way here.” His voice had a strange resonance to it—it wasn’t exactly deep, but it certainly sounded different. “What’s happening?”

The two embraced, and Theo introduced the man as Albert Wren. Apparently, Theo thought we’d wanna meet his new friend, so he texted him to come over when he saw us driving by. He told us this as I was looking at Albert’s clothing: a white button-up shirt tucked into black slacks. I thought it was kinda weird for this time of night, but figured he must’ve just gotten off work at an office or something.

All thoughts of his clothing were pushed from my mind when Albert said, “You’re Brent Gromen.” It was not a question.

“Uhh…I am,” I said. “How’dja know that?”

Albert smiled, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth. “Simple process of elimination. Theo’s told me a lot about you guys, ya know.”

“Has he?” Dean sounded just as surprised as I was.

I watched as Albert correctly identified Dean Warwick and Jack Stenton. I couldn’t quite say what made the whole thing unnerving. All I knew was that I wanted to leave. Let Theo hang out with his new friend on his own. They went well together—both people I didn’t fully understand. Still, we endured for a few more minutes, engaging in small talk on trivial shit that I can’t even remember.

Eventually (and thankfully), Dean said, “Well, it was good to see ya, Theo. Nice meetin’ ya too, Albert. I’ve got work tomorrow, so we’ve gotta go.”

Albert didn’t seem fazed. “Understandable. It was nice meeting you three. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Cya,” was all Theo said.

When we got back into my car, Jack said, “That was weird.”

“You’re welcome for the save,” Dean said.

“Yeah, whatever.” Jack cast a glancing look at the two men standing in the driveway. “Let’s get outta here.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I drove away.

*****

The plan was to go back to Jack’s house. He’d just gotten a new BB gun for his birthday and I wanted to see it. Mostly I just I wanted to forget about Theo and Albert, so shooting some cans would do my mind some good.

“Are those two perfect for each other, or what?” Dean asked when we were a safe distance away.

“Quiet, shy, and short paired up with loud, outgoing, and tall,” Jack said. “They certainly make a pair. It would almost be funny if Albert wasn’t so creepy.”

“It was your idea to go there,” I reminded them.

Dean rolled down the window and lit a cigarette. “Yeah, but we were supposed to just mess with Theo. I didn’t know he was gonna invite his… friend over to meet us.”

I noticed a car was coming up behind me pretty fast. I did nothing to adjust my current speed (which was about fifty miles per hour). Let him either slow down or change lanes. Dean leaned his head out and puffed the smoke into the night air, staring listlessly into my side mirror. I noticed him snap into reality and look at the car directly behind me.

“Dude,” he said, “is that Albert’s car?”

“What?” I looked into my rearview mirror. Jack looked behind himself. It was hard to tell the specific car that late at night with its headlights half blinding me, but it certainly looked to be the same model as Albert’s car. “Is it gray?”

“Hard to tell.”

“It’s definitely gray.” Jack had the best eyesight out of all of us, so we took his word for it. “And I don’t wanna freak you guys out or anything, but it looks like Albert and Theo are in the car.”

Dean immediately flicked his cigarette onto the road and rolled up his window. Looking in the rearview mirror, he asked, “Are you sure?”

I didn’t need Jack’s confirmation to see it. My eyes had adjusted to the car’s headlights, and I could see two men in the gray-colored car. The man driving was wearing a white shirt, while the man in the passenger’s seat had long black hair.

“Are they following us?” Dean asked.

“Only one way to find out.” I changed lanes without signaling. Instead of speeding up past me like most tailgaters would, the car switched lanes to end up right behind me again. I switched back to my original lane, and saw the gray car do the same. Yeah, they were following us, all right. The question was why.

“Well this isn’t weird at all,” Jack said, slumping in his seat. “Can we lose them?”

“I doubt my shitty ten-year-old car can outpace whatever Albert’s driving,” I said. “Dean, text Theo and ask him what the hell he’s doing.”

Dean did as I asked. We stopped at a red light. I kept my eyes trained on the person in the passenger seat to see if a cell phone light would illuminate his face. Nothing. The light turned green.

“Well don’t drive to my house,” Jack said. “I don’t want Theo knowing where I live.”

“Where can we go then?” I ask.

“Certainly not my house.” Helpful as ever, Dean.

So I drove for a while, occasionally taking turns onto other major roads to see if they would follow me. They always did. The longer this went on, the more I could feel my anger rising. It was all probably just a practical joke, but I’d be damned if I gave them the satisfaction of being victorious.

“Fuck it,” I eventually said. “Let’s lose ‘em.”

I pressed my foot a little harder on the gas and was greeted with a rising hum from my engine. I caught one last fleeting glance at the gray car behind me before we took off. My heart started beating faster as I saw the speedometer slowly tick up. Fifty, fifty-five, sixty, sixty-five. We zipped past the next light when I looked in the rearview to see Albert’s car in hot pursuit.

“You did say he could probably outpace your piece of shit car,” Dean said.

“I know, but let’s see if I can’t outsmart them.”

I quickly shifted over three lanes to the left. (The road we were driving on didn’t have many cars at that time of night.) Albert and Theo followed me without a hitch, but as soon as they were in my lane, I switched back over three lanes to the right and made a sharp turn onto Davidson Avenue.

I watched as Jack tried his best to not fall over in his seat. “Not so fast!” he yelled. “Don’t try to get us killed.”

“Or pulled over,” Dean said.

“I don’t care.” And I didn’t. All that mattered at that moment was getting rid of the car tailgating me. Much to my anger, though, I saw the familiar gray car turn onto Davidson and get into my lane. “Motherfucker…”

The street I turned on was a bit more crowded, so I had to slow up a bit. Still, I tried to take advantage of the situation. Weaving between lanes, I hoped a few cars would come between us and Albert. No such luck. Mr. Wren must’ve been an excellent driver to constantly keep behind us. Almost like he’d done it before.

I was contemplating what to do next when I heard Dean’s phone ring. He glanced at it and said, “It’s Theo.”

“Well, pick it up,” Jack said. “And put it on speaker.”

Dean did, saying, “Hello?”

“Hello, boys,” a voice boomed from the other end. It was too deep to be Theo’s. “How are you enjoying your little night drive so far?”

“I don’t really know who you are,” I said, doing my best to keep my eyes on the road, “but can you tell us why you’re doing this?”

There was a static pop from the other end. “Why I’m doing this? Well, it’s how I get my kicks, of course. Are you telling me you’re not having fun?”

“No,” Dean said. “Now you seemed like a decent enough guy, Al, but I’m really starting to dislike you. So how ‘bout you and Theo go back home, and we can all forget about this.”

“Al? Are we on a nickname basis already? I’m flattered, but I’m afraid we can’t stop now. Theo and I are having too much fun. Aren’t we, Theo?”

“Sure are,” I heard Theo say in the background.

“And if you think this is fun, you should wait until we catch up with you.”

Jack turned around and flipped off the gray car behind us. “Fuck you! Hang up the phone, Dean.”

“That seems most unneces—” Albert started, but Dean ended the call.

At that point, we were just going around in a big circle, and it was only getting later and my car only had so much gas. “We can’t keep doing this,” I told them. “We need some kinda plan.”

“They’re starting to piss me off,” Jack said. “I say we go back to my house and get my BB gun to scare ‘em off.”

“But I thought you said you don’t want them to know where your house is,” Dean said with a mocking smile.

Jack’s face showed that he wasn’t in the mood for playing around. “I know what I said, but I’m tired of these guys. Just drive to my house, Brent.”

“You got it.”

Albert and Theo kept following us as we made our way back to our original destination. Luck appeared to be on our side, though, and I was able to speed through a yellow light just as it turned red, leaving Albert and Theo behind. At least Albert followed basic traffic laws. I half expected him to run the red.

I didn’t catch a single glimpse of their car for the rest of the ride, and we arrived at Jack’s house without incident.

Once there, the first thing we did was go into Jack’s room to get his gun. It was pretty nice, too. It was a rifle with a dark wood finish and was polished so well I could see my own reflection. Jack gave the gun a few pumps to load it up.

“If they show up near my house, I’ll scare ‘em,” he said. “I’m sure if I pumped it enough, I could pop a tire.”

“Let’s not test that theory on my car,” I said with a sigh. I was tired and hungry. “You got any food?”

“Parents just went shopping today.” Jack gave the gun a few more pumps before leading the way downstairs.

I didn’t feel like waiting for anything hot, so I just made a bowl of cereal. Jack and Dean plopped down on the couch and turned on the television, but it was mostly just background noise. All three of us were quiet, not quite ready to talk about the ordeal we just went through. Every once in a while Jack gave his BB gun a pump.

Just when I about finished my cereal, Dean got a text. Jack and I didn’t bother asking who it was from—we both knew. Dean studied his screen for a second before looking at me with confusion on his face. “Theo says your car may be a little . . . sticky.”

“What?” What did that even mean? I didn’t know, but I was about to find out. All three of us got up and went outside to see my car.

The night air was cool as we silently walked along the driveway. I was the first one out, and looked for any signs of trouble. The street was completely empty. Albert’s car was nowhere to be found. Satisfied, I looked at my own car and saw no immediate damage. No broken windows, no slashed tires, no nothing.

“Just a joke?” Dean suggested. Both he and Jack stayed in the driveway while I methodically checked the outside of my car.

I was just about to conclude it a joke when I noticed the yellow square stuck to my back window. I grabbed it and saw that it was a sticky note. My car would be a bit sticky. It made sense, and was actually kinda funny. I looked to see what was written on it.

That’s when headlights suddenly flashed behind me.

I turned to see a gray car not ten feet away. How could I have missed it? I was sure there were no cars around. Even Dean and Jack saw nothing. And shit, I was between Albert’s and my car. All these thoughts flashed through my head for but a second before I heard the car’s engine flare. As the car sped towards me, I could see Albert’s face, wide-eyed and grinning as if in ecstasy.

Before I knew it I was sandwiched between the two cars. The pain was immense. I sucked in a quick breath and cried out in pain. “Brent!” I heard Jack yell, which was followed by a popping sound, then broken glass, then Theo’s screams.

“Fuck!” Theo yelled. “He shot me!”

“Quit whining,” I heard Albert say in an annoyed tone.

Another popping sound followed, and Theo said, “Let’s get the fuck outta here! I’m bleeding!”

To my surprise and relief, Albert’s car backed up and drove off. No longer stuck, I dropped to the asphalt. “Brent, are you okay?” I heard Dean say as they both ran towards me.

Mustering the last of my strength, I managed to see what the sticky note had written on it. It said: I’ll be back for more fun.

That was the last thing I remembered before I passed out.

*****

The doctors told me I completely shattered my hip. They asked me how it happened, and I told them it was a traffic accident. That seemed good enough for them. They filled me full of painkillers and left me to my own devices. I was unable to move, so I had to stay at the hospital for at least a week.

During the first day or two, Jack and Dean came to visit me. Jack told me how he shot the passenger-side window, and that his gun was pumped up so much it completely shattered the glass and hit Theo in the neck. It didn’t look like it would kill him, Dean said, but it left him bleeding. I told them that made me feel slightly better, but what I was mostly feeling was relief that the whole thing was over. I’m sure Dean and Jack felt the same way. I could see it on their faces. They eventually left, promising they’d visit me in a couple of days.

But a couple of days passed, and they never came.

I saw on the news that Jack had died in a traffic accident. Apparently drove right onto the sidewalk and crashed into a light post, killing him instantly. The news of Dean’s death came next. Same cause—traffic accident. Though he died when he was sideswiped at an intersection.

The police said that they were tragic accidents, but I know the work of Albert Wren when I see it. He said he’d be back for more fun, and he didn’t lie. The only reason he hasn’t come for me is because I’m stuck in the hospital. But I get released in a few days.

I wonder how long it’ll take before he manages to track me down.

Jacob Gerstel lives in California and discovered his love for writing while he was in high school. Although he usually focuses on darker short stories, he also writes about anything else that catches his fancy (including the occasional poem). When he isn't reading or writing, he’s either learning about history, arguing about politics, or practicing improvisational comedy. He's nineteen and is currently attending a community college, majoring in English and History. He hopes to transfer to a university within a year.