The warm breeze of the late summer fondles Ryan's face as the car passes by the dense line of trees on the edge of North Kill, the wilderness which surrounds it wholly. The blurry haze of leafy shadows darts into his eyes, mesmerising him with its eerie enchantment.

He sits still, leaning his head against the window frame while Laura skilfully guides the automobile on the road, humming a tune and tapping her fingers on the steering wheel.

But her musical humming gradually dies down as a look of empathy crosses her face. "I'm sorry." Laura suddenly converses, surprising Ryan, who moves his head to look at her in a daze of confusion that shrouds his brain. "I'm sorry how your dad treated you back there," she quietly says and glimpses at Ryan through the rearview mirror, who smiles slightly in return, shifting in his seat to sit straighter.

"Don't be. I'm used to it," he dismissively mumbles, shuddering at the thought of his father.

"But you should never be used to something like that."

"Yeah, well," Ryan gives a nonchalant shrug and continues. "Don't have much of a choice. He can do whatever he wants to, whenever he wants to."

Laura makes a face, "But, seriously. What is this, seventeenth century? He cannot just shove you around like that. I never understand why or how people can act like that to their children." Her grip on the wheel tightens, a frown on her face at the unfairness of the situation as she glares ahead.

"I... I don't know," Ryan hesitatingly speaks, his eyes downcast. "But don't tire yourself over it. It may seem awful how he behaves toward me, but I'm still in the process of setting up some... boundaries between him and me. Besides, he and mom weren't even around most of the time, so I guess it shouldn't be too hard doing that."

"Oh? Then why the sudden interest in you?" Laura blurts out and then immediately grimaces regretfully. "Shit! Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a total jerk," she grunts, looking almost as if asking that question physically pained her, and she keeps her eyes glued to the road, now too embarrassed to look at him.

Ryan inhales a big puff of air, only to exhale it loudly. "You're fine. But to be honest, I've been wondering the same thing over and over again. He never, even once in the last couple of years, came to visit Sarah and me. It was only our grandparents who took care of us gladly, so I owe them big. Plus, the four of us never had a day without having some fun."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But on the bright side of things, your grandparents sound lovely and fun to be around," Laura smiles, genuinely delighted to hear something favourable to Ryan's situation. But her brows furrow slightly when she sees something black materialising in front of the car.

Ryan smiles as he reminisces his time with them, staring down at his hands as he fidgets with them. "They absolutely are."

"Uh, Butch? Are you seeing this too?" She asks Ryan, who suddenly scrunches his face in sudden aversion and lifts his gaze.

"Urgh! I can see it and can smell it. It's awful. Did you check the car before leaving?" Ryan probes with uncertainty in his voice, coughing hard when he inhales a good amount of the black smoke by error.

Laura glances back at Ryan, who waves his hand in an attempt to draw away the course of the burning smell. "Of course I did!" But just as she uttered those words, the car's engine hisses noisily, shocking the pair.

"Famous last words," Ryan mumbles dryly between his coughs as he waits for the inevitable. The car then abruptly stops, slightly jostling them forward. For a second, everything remains quiet, apart from the constant hissing noise that car spurts.

Laura groans and hangs her head in defeat while Ryan turns his head in every possible direction, for his eyes seek any source of help. "Well, lucky us. We're stranded now," he deadpans without a hint of enthusiasm, causally leaning back into his seat with a faint sigh.

"Not helping," Laura warns, her head still hanging low and her arms gripping the wheel.

"I'm sorry, I don't see how I can help when we're literally stranded in the middle of the road with only trees surrounding us for miles and miles," he retorts. But he could feel himself getting spooked out the longer the time loosely flowed out of their hands.

"Alright," Laura breathes out in determination and jerks her head up. And instead of answering his previous remark, she suddenly steps out of the car with Ryan's wary gaze following her.

"What are you doing? Do you know how to repair it?" He asks dubiously, slightly hoping for her to say yes.

"Yeah, no. That's not really my thing," she causally replies as she examines the hood of the car from afar and the ominous black smoke seeping out of it.

Ryan raises his brows. "Not... your thing?"

"Just get out of the car so we can move it off the road!" Laura complains with a scowl. It must be the heat of the day doing wonders to her mood, Ryan thought.

He holds up his hands in front of him in a manner of surrender. "Yes, ma'am," Ryan mutters under his breath sarcastically and steps out of the car. He cautiously glances at both sides of the road, finding it barren, and the eerie feeling that the woods create in the atmosphere all around sends a jolt of shiver down his spine. And alas, he couldn't shake off the feeling as if someone was watching him.

"Ryan," Laura drawls impatiently. He looks back at her almost as if he had forgotten what he was supposed to do. But she motions with her head toward the car, reminding him. "Shall we? I don't want to have a showdown with anyone for leaving this junk in the middle of the road." She explains torridly, not adoring the idea of dwelling in the woods with no way of transport.

"Sure. Let's get this over with," Ryan nods and walks to the back of the car, positioning his shoulder against the coolness of the metal. Laura pushes the clutch pedal down and throws the car into neutral. She then joins Ryan and helps him as they both commence to move it. They heave and grunt with their faces twisting with the effort they were putting in, for the automobile seemed much heavier than they believed it to be.

But a chilly breeze suddenly brushes past Ryan's neck, causing him to cease his steps. He twists his neck to his left, staring down into the wilderness with curiosity. The forest seemed much gloomier than before, although the sun was out. The occasional noises of the twigs snapping -or so he thought- and the rustling of the leaves drowned his senses completely.

And to his dismay, Ryan catches sight of someone or something lurking down there; their eyes latched onto his frame spitefully.

A hand suddenly snakes up on his shoulder from behind, coercing him to shrug it off in a panic and veer around. "No-!" He yells out but bites his tongue down once he sees Laura standing there with a worried expression, her blue funnel shirt scarcely damped with sweat.

"Ryan, it's just me." She softly mumbles and extends her hands cautiously to reach for the spooked boy. But he steps back out of her reach, not too keen to be touched as his breath comes out shallow. Laura notices and drops her hands by her side, simpering at him. "Just breathe with me; you're okay," she says and breathes in deeply and then exhales to demonstrate. Soon, Ryan follows as he does the same.

After a moment, his nerves finally calm down. "T-Thanks. I was just... Sorry, my mind is all over the place," Ryan blurts out and awkwardly massages the back of his neck, not looking at her and instead at the ground.

Laura snorts, "I get it." She then smiles sympathetically. "But if it ever gets too much for you to handle, you can always count on me. Now, should we continue our labour?"

Ryan glances at her, not able to hold his smile back. "Noted."

But when they both start to push the automobile, "BEEEEEEP!" A car loudly honks from behind, making the pair flinch in fright and provoking them to circle back. They hear chuckling from inside the vehicle. "Sorry, I couldn't pass up the golden opportunity to scare you guys. Especially you." The fellow laughs heartily and points the finger at Laura in a farce.

"Max!" Laura exclaims, grinning widely and runs off toward him just as he steps out of his car. She pounces on him and flings her arms around his neck lovingly. Max stumbles back from the force but does the same, smiling affectionately and kissing her cheek.

"So nice to see you, honey," he says, doting over her. They finally pull apart when his eyes land on Ryan. "Hey, nice to officially meet you too. I'm Max Brinly, Laura's boyfriend." He waves at Ryan, who waves back awkwardly, a bit surprised to see another familiar face.

"Yeah, likewise. But I'm Ryan. If you didn't know already..." Ryan mumbles and clears his throat. "H-Hey, um. Do you mind giving us a lift? Her car just broke down." He gestures with his thumb at Laura's car behind him, smoke still seeping out like a phantom that awaits its next quarry.

"Oh, sure. But let me check the problem first. I got my good ol' toolkit with me," Max smiles tiredly and opens the trunk of his car to take out the heavy toolbox. "Has it been more than twenty minutes since the breakdown?" He questions, and both the sufferers nod their heads. "Cool, then it won't take me too long."

Max goes over and carefully pops the hood open, which is still hot to the touch. Immediately, a considerable amount of black smoke flies out from the enclosed space, making Max cough and step back abruptly.

"Oh, yeah. That doesn't smell good," Ryan mumbles nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Max coughs a few times before continuing, "I can tell." But once the smoke becomes clear, the freckled boy sets in motion to work.

"Will I be able to drive it again?" Laura inquires and strolls over to Max, her hands folded in front of her as she eyes the engine hopefully. "Or will this junk be stranded here for the day?" She puts in with a frown.

Max chuckles as he skillfully skims his eyes over the wires and plugs attached to one another, yawning in between. "Don't worry. The poor thing just got overheated from the constant use. You will be able to drive it soon." He informs reassuringly, making Laura and Ryan sigh in relief as he picks up his toolbox from the ground and walks back to his car, not having any use for it anymore.

"You look tired," Laura points out suddenly with a worried stare at her boyfriend. "Did you drive all the way till here through the night?" Her voice becomes irate, and her brows knit together. But when she doesn't hear him respond, she goes over to him just as he shuts the trunk with a thud.

"Babe, you know that I'm not that careless. Besides, I took plenty of breaks in between." Max locks his jade-coloured eyes with her blue ones, a mutual communion happening between the two.

"But it's like, nine hours of drive, Max!"

"Yes, I know. But I'm sorry if it worries you too much. I was just too excited to see you, and if it had taken me any longer, I would've surely lost my mind." He instantly confesses, seeing the frown on Laura's face gradually dissolving into a grin.

"You're so cheesy sometimes; you know that?"

"But only for you."

Ryan coughs in embarrassment, having to be third-wheeling. "Should we like... hit the road or something?" He suggests desperately and sees the couple chuckling by themselves, sensing his desperation. Max goes and climbs back into his car, starting it immediately. Laura climbs into hers, and Ryan follows as he sits in the backseat.

"Alright, let's test this bad boy," Laura quips and twists the keys. And to everyone's alleviation, the engine roared back to life in a jiff. "Ah ha! There you go!" She exclaims happily and winks at Max through the side mirror. "Thank a bunch, Max!"

"Sure! No problem!" Max exclaims back, his freckles beaming in delight. "I'll be right behind you guys in case something comes up again!" He tells.

"Alright!" Laura replies and takes the wheel, ready to hit the road after an unfortunate break but Max calls out to her again, stopping her.

"Oh, and the others will be waiting for us in the Harbinger Motel! I invited them too!"

At those unexpected words, Ryan's heart begins to hammer against his chest. He looks over at Laura, stumped with his eyes widening in terror. "Laura? What is he talking about?" He feebly mutters, his legs weakening from the sudden revelation of plans.

Evenly shocked, she briefly glances at Ryan, unable to form an answer and cranks her neck out of the window to peer at Max. "What the fuck, Max? You invited them too?" She hisses at him.

Looking like a puppy who got hit, the smile on his face dims to zero. "Why? Was I not supposed to invite them or something?" He questions anxiously, and Laura expands her eyes with raised eyebrows. "O-Oh! I'm sorry, but I can call them to check if they've arrived yet. Maybe I can tell them that we've cancelled the trip?"

"Forget it. There isn't any signal here anyways," she speaks snappily and pulls back her head inside the car with a huff. Her fingers tap frantically on the wheels, adding to Ryan's worries, who sits motionless in the back seat. She bites her lower lip intensely, thinking of a way to tell Ryan and simultaneously, she puts on her seatbelt and moves the gear stick into the first gear. Then she releases the hand break, and the car starts to move forward.

"Laura?" Ryan murmurs, waiting impatiently.

"Sorry, Butch. I guess what he said is true. But don't worry, I'll be by your side the whole time."

Ryan mulls over what she has said and stares off into the distance. His lips parted as he exhaled the remaining air from his lungs, too shocked and unnerved to mutter anything else. And as the car speeds down the road, his worry only increases. His plan to successfully evade the other counsellors went down the drain, along with his expectations of avoiding the conflict.

♢

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