The dry summer air blew cold through the open windows of the 1999 Mercury Sable as Louis sped down the highway heading home. Flecks of chipped white paint from the hood of the car glistened under the streetlights of the dark and early morning. Louis always sped on the highway and this night was no exception; however, this time something wasn't sitting right in his stomach as he got off at his exit. He sat, staring at the red intersection light. His knees buckling, his eyes darting back and forth, and his knuckles turning white from holding the steering wheel with an unknown strength.

As the light turned green, he sighed a sense of relief and made the left-hand turn down Aladia Ave. In just three more turns, he'd be safe at home in the driveway of his parents house; the place he had lived for 18 years.

"God dammit," he cursed under his breath as the light at Belleview changed from sun yellow to fire truck red.

He slammed on the brakes, luckily no one was out this morning. It was an eerie feeling being one of the only souls awake and breathing. But he knew he wasn't the only one. Louis knew that someone else was up and breathing, and he hoped that they were thinking of him.

He shaked the thought right out of his head as the light turned grass green, and he continued to speed down Aladia Ave until he took a left on Revere, a right on Nevada, and one last left onto Cherry St. He parked on the street, as a means to not wake up the dogs that were sleeping on the floor of his parents' bedroom. The brakes of his car squealed loud enough, he didn't need anything else giving him away.

Louis put the car in park, silenced the radio, rolled up the windows, and slowly pulled the key out of the ignition. He breathed. In, the air fills his lungs to full capacity. Out, the air escapes between his lips and rests in the empty space of who was once in the passenger seat.

"Fuck," he sighs once more. If he wasn't exhausted, he would have given himself the chance to cry. But that wasn't the case, so he hopped out of the car, quietly tiptoed toward the front door, and then made a beeline for his bed once he was safely indoors.