Parked in the middle of the desert was a Holden Kingswood Ute. The bright setting yellow sun hardly reflecting off of it's metal exterior, due to the sand and dust accumulated from hours of driving. Samuel sat in the tray of the Ute, his back resting up against the back window. He was wearing a dark grey poncho which covered his entire body, his skin was dirty and rough. His lifeless hazel eyes lucklessly gazing down the bright orange desert pathway.

His fingers tightly wrapped around a radio, raising it slowly to his mouth. Pressing down firmly on the push-to-talk button, a quiet buzz played through the speaker. Clearing his throat Samuel spoke, "Hey." Pausing to catch his emotions from exploding he continued, "It's me again. I hope you're doing well. I took a wrong turn. Guess I'm not great with maps." Samuel chuckled.

Lowering the radio Samuel hoped to hear Tahlia's voice. However, there was only dead silence. Raising the radio back to his mouth, Samuel sadly spoke, "You need to know. I miss you. I don't know if I'll ever see you again, but there will always be a piece of you in my heart. I'm grateful for that. Wherever you are in this fucked up, beautiful world, I'll always remember you. Whatever someone you become you will be my friend until the end." Closing his eyes, his heart beginning to feel heavy once more he continued, "I'll try again tomorrow morning. Sleep well."

Samuel rested the radio to the side and stared at the sun setting over the horizon. It was beautiful to watch. Winter was coming to an end, and Spring was slowly beginning. Distracted by the scenery, Samuel's hands began to shake uncontrollably. Immediately he reached under his poncho and deep into his pockets. His fingers gripped around a packet of cigarettes. The box was squished and torn, only half full. Depressed he pulled out a single cigarette and placed it in between his dry lips. Using a matchstick Samuel set the tobacco alight, heaving large amounts of cancerous smoke deep into his lungs.

The white smoke drifted out through his mouth and dissipated into the cool air. His entire body felt heavy and depleted. Samuel felt completely lost, his mind foggy, he found himself unable to focus properly. He has never been this low. This feeling of depression scared him.

The sun was almost entirely set behind the distant sandy red hills. The sky was quickly turning into a dark inky black. The sounds of crickets and distant owls echoed throughout the night. Without blinking Samuel sat in the back of the Ute, still fixated on the seemingly never ending desert road.

What only felt like a couple minutes, the sun quickly rose once more. The sky became a bright pinkish blue. This was the second night in a row Samuel had without sleep. Six used cigarette butts were scattered around him from another night of chain smoking.

In a split second Samuel uncontrollably broke out into tears. His body sadly convulsing with each painful groan of grief. With no one around to see his weakness, Samuel was free to let go of his emotions. As quickly as it started, in an instant the flow of tears suddenly drained. His deep heaves of pain came to an abrupt end, Samuel sat eerily quiet in the back of the Ute.

Distant groans from a lonesome Biter grew louder, muffled in Samuel's ears by his agonising hidden pain. The Biter sluggishly limped towards the Ute, her weak jaw gnawing widely open. With thick rope her hands were tied tightly together. Deep flesh torn scars circled around her wrists. The only clothing she was wearing was a pair of worn white converses, which were hardly holding together.

Her body pressed up against the back of the Ute, blocking Samuel's view. Her teeth aggressively chomped together, attempting to rip Samuel apart. With all her struggles she couldn't reach him.

Samuel watched as she struggled. Her shoulders jerking side to side, hoping to free her hands from the rope. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Samuel told the Biter, his voice shaking.

The hatchet which Tony gave him rested beside Samuel. His eyes locked onto the long wooden handle. Tightly wrapping his fingers around the hatchet, he slowly raised the blade above his head. "You didn't deserve this." He spoke aiming for the Biter's skull, in one swift motion Samuel forced the blade deep into her brain. The Biter's cloudy grey eyes rolled back into the back of her head. Her body slumped backwards and fell to the ground.

Taking in a deep breath Samuel let out a long painful sigh. Climbing out of the tray he stepped around the Ute, standing over her decaying corpse. Samuel grabbed onto both of her arms and dragged her to the roadside. Courteously he covered her exposed naked body with broken sticks and bush.

His arms to his side, Samuel gazed down at the mural he had created her. "May you rest in piece." He whispered. Giving his respects, Samuel turned back to the Ute. Jumping into the driver's seat he placed his hands onto the steering wheel. Turning on the ignition the old engine sputtered and rattled to life. First emitting a series of coughs and chugs, the engine settled into a rhythmic low-pitched rumble, roaring to life.

Pulling down the hand brake, Samuel pressed down the clutch with his left foot, changing the gear to first. The old Holden Kingswood quickly rolled forward as he pressed down on the accelerator with his right foot. The engine roared and growled as the RPM increased. The sound of the engine grew sharper and more intense as it responded to the increased throttle.

Reaching over to the passenger side Samuel opened the old glove box, almost popping off of it's hinges. A collection of cassette tapes laying loosely rattled in sync with the engine. Quickly scanning through his vast options of old classic music, Samuel finally chose a cassette called Australian 80's.

He slid the tape into the cassette player and turned up the volume. A song called Leilani by Hoodoo Gurus played loudly on the old speakers. The loud bass caused the speakers to crack and pop.

Picking up speed Samuel changed gears. Gazing into the rear view mirror he watched red sand blow behind him. Coming up to a road sign, Samuel peered over. Closely reading the sign which was covered in yellow graffiti, he found out he had 500 kilometres to drive until he reached Bordertown.

Focusing back onto the open road, he drove past multiple makeshift signs. Each with yellow graffiti sprayed over them reading, 'fear the ferals', 'feral territory' and 'do not enter'. A clear warning not to continue. Ignoring the warnings Samuel kept driving. Ahead he saw a human figure hung up over the road with rope. Samuel got a closer look as he drove underneath. The figure was a mutilated body, his flesh spread apart and stretched, his organs were exposed with his intestines swaying in the wind.

Completely stunned Samuel nervously gripped tighter onto the steering wheel. Not paying any attention behind him, he finally gazed back into the rear view mirror. A large rusted truck was only metres away speeding behind him. Fearful his eyes widened, stepping hard on the accelerator Samuel picked up speed. However, the old engine of the Kingswood was no match. The song Leilani ended and quickly changed over to the next, playing Send Me An Angel by Real Life.

Gaining momentum, the truck quickly caught up. Samuel could feel his heart racing with fear. The truck's massive grille loomed larger in the rearview mirror, and the menacing presence of the vehicle sent shivers down his spine.

Desperately trying to maintain his speed, Samuel pushed the accelerator to its limit, but the old Holden struggled to keep up. The truck was relentless, closing the gap between them. Samuel's hands gripped the steering wheel even tighter, his knuckles turning white with tension. He desperately scanned the desolate desert landscape for any possible escape routes. There were no side roads, and the vast, open terrain seemed endless.

The truck's front bumper made contact with the back of the Kingswood, causing the tray door to swing open. Samuel's body violently nudged forward. Gazing into the side mirror, he saw a modified black muscle car, speeding past the truck and pulling up next to his Ute. A Biter was attached to the hood of the car with a combination of melted metals and rope. It's teeth gnawed open wanting a taste of flesh.

A crazed man sat in the drivers seat of the muscle car, half of his body was hanging out the window. The man was wearing a flat metal mask over his face, with two uneven eye holes. He wasn't wearing a shirt, his arms were bone skinny flailing in the wind. He aggressively revved his engine, producing a deafening roar. Pulling his body back inside the car, the man quickly turned the steering wheel towards Samuel. His car connected with the Kingswood, causing Samuel to lose control.

Completely loosing control of the Ute, the Kingswood spun in circles, the tires screeched along the desert road as Samuel pressed hard on the brakes. The truck behind him continued forward, crashing into the tray of the Kingswood. The tray instantly caved in and disconnected from the car.

The world outside the Ute windows became a blur of dust and sand as the Kingswood tumbled off the road, its tires spinning helplessly in the air. The car rolled multiple times, each turn accompanied by a sickening crunch of metal and glass. Inside, Samuel was tossed about like a ragdoll. The radio, hatchet, and cassette tapes became projectiles in the chaotic interior. Everything was in disarray, and the world outside was a dizzying swirl of desert and sky.

Finally, with a thunderous crash, the Ute came to a rest on its roof, the roof crumpled and the glass shattered. Samuel hung upside down from his seatbelt, dazed and disoriented. In the distance, the truck that had been pursuing him screeched to a halt, and the man in the modified muscle car joined them, bringing both vehicles to a stop near the wreckage.

Samuel's heartbeat thundered in his ears as he struggled to unbuckle his seatbelt. His head was pounding, his vision blurred, and he could taste the iron tang of blood in his mouth. Finally able to unbuckle his seatbelt, Samuel fell hard into the ground. His teeth gritted in pain as he pulled his body out through the shattered window. Managing to stand on two feet, Samuel looked inside the overturned Ute, the radio was wedged in between the rear view mirror and the crumpled roof. Reaching inside, he grabbed the radio and held it tightly.

With an agonising limp, Samuel staggered away from the twisted metal of the Ute, clutching the radio. The world around him spun as he struggled to regain his bearings.

Over a small hill was multiple abandoned appliances and household items, dug deep in the red sand. A large white bathtub stuck out from the sand. Falling to the ground, Samuel desperately crawled into the bathtub hiding himself.

Samuel's heart raced, his breath coming in rapid, shallow gasps. He could hear the voices of the men from the truck and the muscle car as they approached the crash site. They were shouting and laughing. The men gathered around the overturned Ute, their voices growing louder as they inspected the wreckage. Samuel strained to listen, trying to make out their words.

One of the men, the driver of the muscle car, seemed particularly unhinged. He cackled with manic glee as he rummaged through the debris of the Kingswood, clearly relishing the chaos they had caused. Samuel's grip on the radio tightened, and he silently prayed they wouldn't notice him hiding.

The two seemed completely bewildered where Samuel had gone. Not caring to hang around, they both scavenged what they could and got back into their vehicles. Leaving the wreckage behind, they continued on the desert road, a large sand cloud trailing behind their tires.

As the sounds of their engines drifted further, Samuel sighed with relief. Realising he was still holding onto the radio, he nervously inspected it. "Please still be working." He whispered to himself, his voice uneasy. Turning the radio on, the loud ongoing buzz played through the speaker. "Thank you." He spoke relieved.

Holding the radio tightly over his heart, Samuel's vision began to fade. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell unconscious.