01.04.202X - Baby Driver

Baby Driver

 

“No, no-” Kate seemed exasperated. The driving lesson Sayori had looked forward to hadn't really turned out the way she'd imagined. “You have to really give the clutch what for. It's not made of sugar, you know.”

“...y-yeah. Sorry.” Anxiety and cold sweat.

She almost wanted to call it quits right then and there and just down a couple Xanax instead, but Katie had kind of insisted that she'd have to stay sober behind the wheel. Or, well, Katie had told Sayori that she'd bonk her with the slugger if she came within six feet of the driver's seat while messed up.

So, sober she was, her leg still protesting weakly, cold sweat running down the small of her back, scared and nervous and more anxious than she'd been in ages.

And they hadn't even made it out of the yard yet.

“Listen,” Kate huffed, her arms crossed over her chest, pointedly looking away. “If you don't push the clutch all the way down, and still try to switch gears...”

A sigh, uncrossed arms, animated gestures. “You'll mess up the transmission on the shitbox. I don't, I repeat, I do not want to scour the county for the one idiot mechanic that might have decided to stay behind, understand?”

“...ah, s-sorry, I got... I got nervous...” Sayori stammered.

Good job.
Causing an engine failure the first time you even sit behind the wheel?
Classic you.

“It's... it's okay.” Kate's expression seemed to soften. “Nobody's born a driver, and with that leg...”

“...yeah.” Kate finished, a bit lamely, giving Sayori a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Just... try to keep it in mind, okay? The clutch is the hardest to get used to – was for me at least.”

Kate winked at her.

“After that, it's smooth sailing. You'll get there sooner than you'd think. Mach fucking 10 down the highway.”

“Mm. Y-yeah.” Kate's laughter felt like it lightened the mood somewhat. “I'll... I'll try again...”

“...if... t-that's okay with you?” She hazarded a glance towards the nurse. The grin she got in response was almost enough to set her at ease.

God, I hope she's not laughing at me.
I probably look stupid.
Why'd I even ask that?

“You don't need to ask permission from me, sister.” Katie winked. “Just show me what you got.”

Kate fiddled with the radio – they'd stopped listening to the broadcasts roughly an hour ago. The nurse had apparently amassed quite a collection of music. It was a good thing, too – Sayori didn't even have to look at her phone to know that there was no way in Hell she was getting any kind of signal.

Internet's down, cell masts down, everything was down. Just cooking show re-runs, ads and occasional talk radio. From what she had heard earlier it seemed like the situation wassn't as bad as expected – there'd been some callers on the air on “KnoxTalk” or some other show, she couldn't remember the name.

Generally, the outside reaction seemed to be mostly... disbelief.

Another plague, so soon after the last one? Cannibals roaming the streets? Airborne pathogens?
It sounded like a cheap horror flick from 10 years ago.

And the flippant way the outside world treated this – it did kind of make sense.

Here, inside Katie's old dusty Corolla, fuzzy dice and weird-smelling cardboard trees dangling from the rear-view... it all seemed so distant.

She'd be leaving for Japan soon. Louisville – Atlanta – Tokyo. Shitty airport food, her last chance to buy souvenirs for the girls, an uncomfortable nap on – presumably – steel benches, overpriced coffee, hurried scrawling in her journal so she could maybe, somehow, make it seem like her trip was a good one.

Still, just the thought of going back to Louisville... it made her skin crawl. It was a beautiful city, no doubt about it, but... the memories.

Bad memories.

It took her a moment to register that the car was moving, and another moment to realize that she was the one steering it. Not like she'd be shifting gears right now – they were barely crawling along, doing little loops in the gravel-covered yard, springtime sun getting in her eyes, but...

She was driving.

 

“Katie?” She spoke quietly, eyes pointed directly forward.

If there was one thing she knew, it was to never take her eyes off the “road”, open and flat as it may have been.

“What's up? You're doing good.” Kate smiled. “Something on your mind?”

“We... when I...” Sayori slowly brought the vehicle to a halt and scratched the back of her head, tousling her overgrown bob even further. “I'm... going back to... to Japan soon. J-just over a week.”

She turned her gaze towards Kate again, green meeting blue. The nurse usually came off a bit guarded, with a humorous edge – Sayori wouldn't have been surprised to hear about her being a back-seat class joker – but now she seemed... open.

No judgment, no sarcasm, just fully taking in whatever the girl had to say.

 

“I... I know this sounds... weird.” Sayori winced. Just how was she supposed to bring this up? “C-could you... if you're not busy, you know... maybe...”

She sighed. What a real fucking orator you are.

“...go on.” Kate motioned for her to continue.

“W-well, I was thinking t-that... maybe, you...” Just fucking say it. “Could you please come to t-the airport with me?”

She didn't mean to sound that panicked. Katie probably thought she was a fucking weirdo.

Can't blame her for that. You are.

“S-sorry... I know you're probably busy, you-”

“Of course!” Katie grinned at her. Pearly whites – or was it off-whites? - showing, sunlight glinting in her green eyes... she was almost picturesque, in the best possible way.

That was a surprise. A welcome one, but a surprise nonetheless. She'd expected an apologetic smile, a nervous silence – Katie was probably more than needed in Rosewood, what with the infection spreading and all, but...

Maybe she was being selfish.

Oh, you most definitely are.

But then again, maybe...

Maybe she could be selfish, once in a while. She really didn't want to go to Louisville alone. Anonymity would have been more than possible in a city of almost seven hundred thousand people, but...

He was still there.

He knew when she was leaving.

He might be camped out in front of the check-in, cajoling and brow-beating and guilt-tripping until she didn't know up from down anymore.

She needed Kate.

Or a police escort.

Or a citizen militia, and those guys would shoot him where he stands and...

Actually, that might not have been the best trick to pull in a busy airport.

Still, a girl could dream, couldn't she?

The tourniquet hurt. Apparently it was supposed to – at least according to Katie – but still.

Very uncomfortable.

Of course, it was better than bleeding out from a lacerated artery, and Katie had been very particular about at least teaching her the basics before they'd head anywhere, especially since apparently a wound to the – femoral artery, was it? – meant you apparently had roughly a minute to act before falling unconscious. Sayori was kind of unsure where she'd picked up all of this, and had kind of forgotten to ask – it didn't really seem like anything a common nurse would be expected to do.

Then again, maybe it was. She might not have been much of a driver, most likely would never be, but she knew even less about first aid, as it stood.

 

“Yeah, I think you got it. Go ahead and loosen it up.” Kate was kneeling next to her, watching her leg slowly turn blue with a devilish smirk on her face. “But do it slowly. If you've had a tourniquet on, or tied one up on someone else...”

She slowly untwisted the plastic... stick? Sayori didn't quite know what to call it. There might have been some technical jargon that she'd missed – it was hard to recall. Either way, a stick was a stick, and while it might have been a high-tech, proprietary stick, it was still, well, a stick.

“The sudden influx of blood from the extremity might, at the very least, send the patient into shock, and possibly even kill them.” Her tone was far less serious than Sayori would have expected, but she did kind of... appreciate it, for want of a better term.

 

Maybe Katie was... going a bit easy on her?

Possibly.

Still, it did feel kind of nice. She definitely didn't do well with people yelling at her, or making everything all too serious – most things just felt like they went in through one ear and out through the other, if they weren't presented properly.

“O-oh. So...” She slowly loosened the tourniquet a bit again, the pain subsiding, leg tingling with renewed blood flow. “But, uh... how long c-can you keep this on?”

Maybe it was a dumb question. She still couldn't help wondering – if the point of a tourniquet was to completely block blood flow into a wounded area, then wouldn't that lead to...

“I'd say you have... twelve hours, maybe? At most.” Kate scratched her head and looked away, seemingly slightly unsure, herself. “After that, necrosis starts setting in.”

The tourniquet was completely loosened now, Kate carefully sliding it off her leg, but the tingling was intense. Even the mild pressure from Kate's hands was enough to make her flinch, a murmured apology following suit.

Maybe they could stay there for just a moment, let her leg rest for a while, take in the sunlight for a bit...

 

“Heh, good thing you brought up the whole... necrosis thing.” Kate smiled, sheepish and slightly embarrassed. “Look at you, paying attention.”

Kate ruffled her hair, an affectionate smile playing on her lips, sunlight warming Sayori's back and the dark gray, over-sized hoodie she'd “borrowed”.

Come on, I'm not a kid anymore.

Still, it was...

...I mean, I don't really mind.

Maybe Katie was a bit touchy-feely, but then again, so was she. It felt comforting, having someone looking out for you, having someone you could trust, someone you could call a friend.

Someone nice that didn't mind giving you a hug when you were feeling scared and alone, someone who didn't get angry at you despite how often you messed up, someone that wanted to teach you important things, teach you life-saving things, all because they cared.

 

“So!” Kate sprang to her feet, stretching her legs, icy gravel crunching under her muddy boots. “Recap time. What did we learn today?”

“Um... ah, well...” Sayori briefly consulted her memories, best as she could. Goddamn Prozac. “U-uh, when you get a wound to an... extremity...”

The word felt unfamiliar, oddly shaped. “You... slip on the tourniquet, tighten the... strap...”

“And where do you apply the tourniquet?”

“The... uh... beginning of the... extremity. As close to the torso as possible.” She cleared her throat, feeling slightly more confident now, the appreciative nod from Kate egging her on. “Then, y-you elevate the limb, spin the... stick around until bleeding stops, lock it... a-and write down the time on the white... thingy.”

“Very good. Come on.” Kate smiled and held out her hand towards Sayori, who wasted no time in taking it and rising to her feel, the sharp tingle in her leg now little more than a memory. “Honestly, there's a lot of ways of doing this, but...”

Kate shrugged and dusted off Sayori's back. “This is simple enough for anyone to remember. All you gotta do now is practice, practice, practice.”

The end of her sentence was punctuated by three gentle thumps to Sayori's back, wiping off the patina of gravel and dry pine needles.

 

“Do you... do you really think I'll need this?” Sure, it was useful knowledge, to some degree, but... “It... doesn't seem that bad. The... situation.”

“Hm. Honestly, I really hope you don't, but...” Kate sighed. Calling the current situation a... well, a “situation” seemed to kind of annoy her, at least judging by the look she got, but... what else am I supposed to call it? “Listen, if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's to always be prepared. Always.”

“Maybe this is just a freak occurrence, and FEMA and the CDC get it under control posthaste, or maybe...” Kate started trudging towards the car, eyes distant. “...maybe things are going to get really bad. War's barely over as it is. I'm worried people are gonna get... desperate.”

“I... y-yeah. Hope it's n-not... too bad.” She shouldn't have asked. She wasn't even from around here. Katie's family had already abandoned her, the last thing she needed to think about was her home turning into a ghost town. She'd be leaving for Japan, anyway, and in one piece, thanks to Katie.

How kind of you to repay her like that. I'm sure she appreciates the salt in her wounds.

“S-sorry. I... shouldn't have asked.” Stop begging for sympathy. Act your age.

“No, it's... it's fine. Don't be.” Another sigh. “Just, you know... Mom left, and grandpa too, and...”

 

Kate stopped in front of the banged-up Corolla and leaned on the roof of the car, letting out a long exhale as she buried her face into her sleeves.

“...fuck, I hate this.” Her voice was muffled, far steadier than Sayori would have expected, but... this wasn't the Kate she knew.”I hate this so fucking much.”

There wasn't anything else to do. 

Kate was warm and smelled like coconuts and fresh laundry. She tensed up at the sudden contact but then slowly relaxed and leaned in, bringing her arms around Sayori as well.

“I... I know that... maybe it doesn't mean that much, b-but...” Sayori swallowed audibly, her mouth suddenly very dry. “I... owe y-you so much, and... I c-can't thank you enough, and...”

“You don't have to thank me.” A short chuckle, but one not entirely without humor, without joy. “That's what friends are for, right?”

 “Y-yeah. And...” Maybe it's time to write some checks now. Stand up for Katie like she stood up for you. “Katie, I... I promise you're gonna be fine, I'll... I'll do anything I can to help.”

 

Kate remained silent, apart from a quiet sniffle. It didn't take much guesswork to figure that out.

“Even if... even if everything goes to shit...” She gently ruffled Katie's hair, and suddenly there was an unfamiliar fire burning in her chest, a spark of defiance that felt like it burned away all her uncertainties and her fears. “Even if... there's a thousand cannibals roaming the streets, I promise I'll stay with you, no matter what. I can fight. Whatever happens to us, I'll be here. With you.”

“Y-you... you d-don't...” Kate's voice was shaky.

“Shush.” She let go of Kate, leaving the nurse to rub her eyes in amused disbelief. “That's what friends are for.”

A smile. Maybe she'd done something nice.

It felt kind of... exciting. Foot on the gas pedal, engine roaring, the trees zooming by barely more than a dark green mass. Exciting enough to ignore the mild pain in her right thigh, even. Sure, she felt shaky and nervous, but...

She was driving.

Properly, at that. Kate hadn't had to remark anything, she'd gotten a feel for the clutch now, there wasn't even any traffic to dodge...

All in all, a pretty comfortable Sunday drive. Headed south. Towards Rosewood, towards civilization.

Was it even a Sunday?

“Katie?” A brief glance towards the other seat. Kate seemed occupied, replying with a quiet hum, slowly chewing on a piece of gum.

“What day is it?”

“Thursday.” Curt would have been an understatement. “Why?”

“Well, I...” Maybe she wasn't up for talking. She did have more important things to think about. “...never mind.”

Silence descended once again, but this time it felt more pointed. Sayori couldn't help taking her eyes off the road now and then, casting occasional glances towards Kate. Poor Katie. Left behind by her family. I wonder what their relationship was like. Kate hadn't talked much about her family before they left Rosewood – maybe they didn't get along all too well? 

 

But what was she supposed to ask?

The road dragged on, seemingly endless. Kate seemed to notice the silence as well, and loudly cleared her throat while fiddling with the radio, a white banged-up USB stick protruding from the shiny black device. After a while, she seemed satisfied with her find and turned up the volume.

Despite the music, it felt quiet.

Isolated, perhaps.

Sayori felt a burning need, an intense pressure, to say something, anything, but...

What was she supposed to say?

 

Nothing came to mind. So, on they rode, the radio blaring on, something about bloodstains and speed killing, Katie chewed her cheek, and Sayori felt her earlier confidence rapidly evaporating again.

No sense in crying over spilled milk.
That was childish, anyway.
Katie's a born survivor.
She's a medic and a hunter and she knows Kentucky like the back of her hand.
You're a liability, at best.
You don't belong here.

She was going to go home soon anyway, whereas Katie was going south to join her family. Soon all of this would just be another painful, frustrating memory among the others.

Like always.

 

“Pull over.” It took a while for the offhand remark to register correctly.

“Um... o-okay,” It did make sense – they were driving into town, where they'd likely run into the police and – most likely – get arrested. Driving without a license was a familiar enough concept to register to most everyone, it felt like.

It did still feel a bit annoying. She was doing well. No accidents, no hiccups, smooth sailing all the way down – she'd even kept to the speed limit, despite the overwhelming urge to just go faster at times.

So, she slowly brought the car to a halt, set the transmission into neutral, and engaged the handbrake. The movements didn't seem as alien anymore, slightly unfamiliar at worst, and she couldn't help feeling a little surge of pride as she unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out into the chilly springtime air.

She slowly stretched her arms, stifling a yawn and a shiver, and trudged along the tarmac, her legs protesting weakly at the sudden change in mission. Kate gave her a tight little smile as she walked by, but her eyes seemed cold. It didn't feel like her heart was in it.

Maybe she'd fucked up somehow.

But there was no rebuke, no flaws pointed out, no further instruction – just silence.

And truth be told, the silence almost felt worse.

“Did I...” She started quietly, lamely, as the engine came back to life. “Did I do alright?”

She hazarded a glance towards Kate, who finally seemed to snap from her reverie with a heavy sigh that made Sayori regret ever asking.

“Honestly...” She started, slowly tasting the words as they came to her lips. “I... think you did really well.”

Sayori let the words sink in. Even if the words weren't enough, the tone already told her all she needed to know – this was the same friendly Kate that she'd spent so many afternoons chatting with in the past weeks, the same Kate that had reassured, protected and comforted her yesterday, the Kate she almost felt like she needed when she was gone.

“Especially for a first-timer.” Kate gave her a little smile, this one genuine, her eyes slowly growing more expressive. “I mean, I was a bit worried with how nervous you were looking, but... you pulled through with flying colors.”

“Heh, I guess... I mean, I had you as a teacher, so...” Sayori replied to the smile in kind. “And like... yeah, I was really worried too, but we didn't run into...”

All of a sudden, it hit her. Like a truck, if you will.

“Yeah.” Kate's smile faded, turning grim. “No cars.”

No cars.

This was supposed to be a busy thoroughfare, leading north-west, towards the river. They hadn't seen as much as a single little sedan going either way.

There should have been a bus headed to or from Ekron, at least, or a truck passing by, but...

 

Nothing.

The road was dead.

And if the road was dead, then...

“Do you...” She couldn't finish the sentence.

There was a sudden feeling of unmistakable dread congealing in her stomach, horrid and black and cold.

“D-do you think I'll get back... home?” She didn't mean to sound that desperate. “B-back to... Japan?”

Kate looked away, and stayed painfully, horribly, silent.

The bitter taste of alprazolam spread through her mouth, sticking to her tongue like a parasite.

At least it was familiar. Comforting, or as close to it as she felt she could get. She took a deep breath, trying her best to collect herself, but it'd take 10 more minutes for the pill to kick in, at the very least, and she needed to escape somehow.

I want to get away.
Please let me go.
Just this once.

Why?

Why now, of all times?

Why did it always have to be her?

Maybe she'd done something wrong at some point.
That had to be it.
Maybe she'd been a death row inmate or something in a previous life, a war criminal, a terrorist.
Something like that.

Just... something.

Something that would explain why her life was like this.

 

Why her “happiest” moments – if she could even call them that - were when she'd finally manage to muster up a laugh at something she'd read, after a month of barely smiling at best.

Why she had to rest for hours after going grocery shopping – that is, if she didn't just stay in bed instead, ordering takeout for what felt like the hundredth time that year, so numb and fed up she didn't even bother justifying the purchase to herself anymore.

Why she felt like she was some kind of clockwork automaton, slowly getting wound up more and more, tension slowly building until she shook and sweated and shivered with hollow cheeks and empty eyes, her thoughts so busy she couldn't even hold onto a single one of them, yet all of them completely devoid of any real substance.

Something that would slot in nicely in her worldview, for once, that would still maintain the mistaken idea that the world was somehow inherently fair, inherently just. That there were some rules in place, at least, that she'd maybe get better one day and not always have to feel like she was her own worst enemy.

Anything except the way it was now.

Anything.

 

 

Sayori didn't seem all too well. Kate didn't want to pry all too much, not that she needed to. 

Writing's on the wall. 

The situation was bad, and she had a feeling it might go from just bad to utterly, overwhelmingly shit. Perhaps not the finest way of putting it, but she'd never been one for pointless courtesies.

She briefly found herself wondering why she'd risk the drive to Rosewood. Maybe it was some kind of hidden optimist inside her, quietly and desperately hoping that what happened yesterday was just a fluke, a one-off. That the worst thing she had to worry about now was being late for her shift, and perhaps getting a look from the other nurses when they'd realize that she'd absconded with a patient.

Maybe the National Guard would be in place, cordoning off the area, and she'd drive home, smiling all the while, her bag filled with emergency rations, Sayori riding shotgun wearing a relieved, awkward, blushing smile and maybe even giving Kate a nervous, shaky little kiss upon hearing the news.

Then they'd get back to grandpa's house, just the two of them, and Mom ditching her would suddenly turn into the greatest example of accidental kindness the woman had ever shown her, because...

Gotta focus. I can daydream about undressing her later. Let's just get to Rosewood first.

They weren't far, just a minute or two. Kate had half a mind to slow down – she'd seen Sayori fish out a xanny after the realization had dawned on her as well. She had no intention of blaming her, quite the opposite – if this wasn't an acceptable situation for anxiety relief, then they might as well just have banned the drug entirely. Might as well let the medicines kick in a bit before entering town.

Actually...

“Sayori?” The girl perked up - barely - and Kate tried to sound as casual as possible. “You took your meds just now, right?”

“...Yeah.” Her voice was quiet, eyes locked onto the rubber mat. “S-sorry. I just... I c-can't...”

Kate shushed her passenger, flashing her best attempt at a gentle smile. “Hey, no need to apologize, okay? I'm not blaming you one bit for taking them. Honestly, if this doesn't count as a good time to take them... I wouldn't have any idea why it's even prescribed anymore.”

“Mm...” She didn't sound particularly cheerful, but her gaze was finally off the car mat. Progress.

“I... yeah. Was wondering. I know it takes a few minutes to work, so...” She scratched the back of her head absentmindedly. “I could slow down or pull over, if you wanna. Let it kick in before we enter Rosewood.”

“I don't... I dunno. I thought we were in a hurry.” The girl gave Kate a nervous, forced smile. “You don't need t-to slow down, just for me.”

“I mean... one, we're not really in any hurry, and two, I definitely don't wanna push you anywhere before you at least get yourself steadied.” The nurse shot Sayori another smile, and this time it actually felt genuine. “I just want you to... be alright, you know?”

“Y-yeah, I guess... I mean, if you feel like-” Her blue eyes narrowed, her tone hardened. “What's that?”

 

In the distance, at a very familiar intersection, stood a group of very unfamiliar vehicles. Large metallic boxes daubed with camouflage paint, stars-and-stripes flying off little pennants, surrounded by a teeming mass of people in uniform, each of them holding a familiar-looking black rifle, the group in front of them running to and fro in apparent hurry.

They were still a ways off, but it wouldn't take long to reach them, and as her heart kicked into overdrive, Kate almost felt like asking Sayori for spare medication. She was a U.S. Citizen, with a valid driver's license and no prior charges, driving well below the speed limit, sober as anyone and, if not immune, then at least not infected.

But...

“Guess the National Guard's here.” Her voice sounded distant, even to herself. Maybe she should just turn around and leave. They wouldn't open fire, would they? “I don't... I think...”

Her protests died in her throat when she saw a gas mask-clad, stocky fellow wave her in. Just in time to hear Sayori taking heavy, shaking breaths, perhaps trying to hyperventilate quietly because “I d-don't want t-to annoy you” or something equally heartbreaking, and the only thing stopping Kate from squeezing her shoulder and reassuring her that they'd be fine was the fact that she was largely frozen with terror as well.

So she complied, and steered her vehicle in next to the soldier, and in what felt little more than the blink of an eye, they were surrounded. There was no yelling, no barked commands to comply with, nobody waved their gun around, but the message was clear.

Stop the car, stay here, and don't get any ideas.

The man that waved her in slung his rifle onto his back and knocked on the driver's side window, and Kate opened the window with shaking fingers while Sayori busied herself with seemingly making herself as small and innocuous as possible. She probably hadn't seen many guns before, and definitely none in this context.

Poor girl.

A muffled voice emanated from the masked man, surprisingly calm and amicable given the situation.

“Corporal Richard Cho, 438^th military police, United States Army National Guard. Please remove the keys from the ignition, ma'am.”