Backroads: 2am

Rounding the bend of this seemingly abandoned town, Annabelle and Charlie chug down the back roads in their light gray 2011 Ford Fusion. 

“I told you we should have gotten gas at the last rest stop!” an agitated Annabelle exclaimed. 

“Will you stop worrying? We'll be fine. My car’s a tank, she can run on zero for a couple miles,” Charlie replied, a calming tone lingered in her voice. 

“We’re literally in the middle of nowhere. I don't even think there's a gas station for at least 5 miles.” 

“Bro, you worry too much, chill.” 

“Don’t tell me to chill when we're driving down backroads in the middle of the night. There could be a murderer lurking around waiting for us to break down....” Annabelle's voice trails off as she looks out the window into the black abyss of night. There’s nothing around the two friends besides miles of cornfields and the secrets they hold within.  

“You've been watching too many true crime documentaries, I swear,” muttered Charlie. She was always able to keep calm in these types of situations, despite most of the time causing them.  

“Two women with an empty tank on a road that barely has streetlights? Sounds like the perfect start to a crime show. I'm going to see where the nearest gas station is.” Annabelle reaches for her phone, the screen illuminating her face, making her even more aware of the darkness surrounding them.  

 “It's kind of fun, right? Not knowing if we're going to break down and be stranded on the side of the road.”, Charlie said, laughing. 

“You’re kidding right? I'm not ready to die, not looking like this.”  

“HA! Imagine we do get killed and someone finds you in that Rodrick Rulez shirt!”, Charlie yelled, slapping her leg from hysterics.  

“I think I'd deserve to die at that point. But what about you and those cheetah pants? Not exactly the thing I'd want to be last seen in...” 

“Ah- how dare you, these are fire. I guess we’d both look stupid, but we’d look stupid together, unless the killer like drags us apart or something.” 

“Okay! I don’t want to think about that right now. There's a gas station down the road on the left.” 

“See, I told you not to worry, my car’s a tank.” 

“Yeah, you keep saying that, but hasn’t she been through multiple tickets, been hit a couple times, been booted, and oh, didn’t you get towed last summer?” Annabelle quipped.  

“Yeah, and not a single scratch on her," Charlie said, grinning from ear to ear.  

“I don’t think that's something to be proud of. Oh, thank God, the gas station's right up here.” 

“This place looks super sketchy. I feel like we’d be safer breaking down somewhere.” 

“Well, you can do that, but I'm going to fill this tank up, I’ll make it quick.” Annabelle leaps out of the car into the crisp night air. There is no one else around besides a single man behind the shop counter.  

“The tank's full, let’s go,” said Annabelle, eager to leave this run-down gas station.  

“Dude... the car's not starting...”, murmured Charlie, playing with the keys in the ignition.  

“What the fuck do you mean the car's not starting? I’m not going to die here!” shouted Annabelle. 

“Nah, I’m just playing, just wanted to fuck with you. Okay, let's go!”

The two pull out of the seedy gas station, ready than ever to get home.