Bob, the middle-aged man, shot a confident glance at his family inside the station wagon.
His wife, two daughters, son, and son-in-law sat cramd together. He had planned this spur-of-the-mont road trip on their anniversary to patch up the growing tension at ho.
At least, that was the idea.
No one in the car reacted much when Bob ntioned the beat-up van still following them. They were used to their loud, thick-headed patriarch by now. They just wondered which unlucky bastards he had dragged into this ss.
Bob ignored the muttering and kept driving with the sa cocky grip on the wheel.
That confidence lasted only a few hours. As the sky darkened and no sign of the highway appeared, he was forced to crawl along the empty desert road.
"This doesn't make sense," he muttered. "Locals use this shortcut all the ti."
Even Bob's thick skin finally cracked. He glanced in the rearview mirror. In the flickering headlights the old van behind them looked almost nacing.
Dave, his son-in-law in the back seat, finally spoke up.
"Bob, I checked the map. This road isn't even on it. We're lost. That van isn't local either. We probably led them astray too."
Bob's face flushed. "Bullshit. They know the way. I'm going to ask them."
He flicked on the hazards and pulled over.
Luke saw the station wagon stop and eased on the brakes.
"They ho already?" Brando joked.
Luke shook his head. "No way. Looks like they're about to pitch tents for the night."
"Perfect," Brando said. "We can ask if they've seen anything weird around here. Maybe they know where the test site is."
Brando snorted. "Not a chance. That place is classified even back at headquarters. Regular people living next door wouldn't have a clue."
The station wagon's doors opened. Bob and Dave walked over and tapped on the van window. Bob forced a friendly smile.
"Hey, fellas. You taking the shortcut too? How's the road up ahead?"
Silence.
Lionel leaned forward from the back. "Shortcut? What shortcut? We've been following you the whole ti."
Bob's smile froze. "Following ? You're not locals?"
Brando studied Bob from head to toe, frowning. "We're from Florida. You took that turn like you knew exactly where you were going."
The two groups stared at each other through the glass. The silence turned awkward fast.
Turns out both cars had mistaken the other for locals.
Bob's face went red then white. He could feel his son-in-law's eyes drilling into his back.
He cleared his throat. "Well… we'll just head back to the gas station and ask the owner."
Luke nodded. Good enough.
Both vehicles turned around and started the long drive back across the darkening wasteland.
Inside the station wagon the mood was ice-cold. Bob's wife sat with her arms crossed, staring out the window in silence. Dave wanted to say sothing to ease the tension but had no idea where to start. Bob kept his mouth shut and drove faster, trying to outrun his own embarrassnt.
The van felt a lot lighter.
"I told you that guy looked like an idiot," Lionel said from the back, grinning. "No way he was local."
Brando kept his head down, scribbling in his notebook. "It's normal human behavior. When people are lost they follow the herd, even if the leader looks unreliable."
Luke stayed quiet. He watched the sun sink below the horizon, painting the sky blood-red. The empty desert suddenly felt a lot more hostile.
He had a bad feeling about that gas station.
By the ti they reached it, full night had fallen. The sign was dark. Only their headlights cut through the blackness.
Bob stopped the car, confused. "What the hell? They closed?"
He and Dave got out and tried the convenience-store door. Locked. Bob pressed his face to the glass.
"Hey! Anyone in there? Owner?"
His voice echoed across the empty lot. No answer.
Luke and the others stepped out. Lionel stretched and grumbled, "Damn, I was hoping for a hot dog."
Luke walked to the window and peered inside by the van's headlights.
The store was a ss. Shelves knocked over, a coffee cup spilled across the counter, dollar bills scattered on the floor. This wasn't a normal closing. It looked like soone had run for their life.
"Sothing's wrong," Luke said quietly.
Brando leaned in. "Whoever left did it in a hurry. Didn't even grab the cash. This place has problems."
Bob's family finally realized how bad it was. His wife climbed out of the car, face pale with fear. Their youngest daughter clung to her leg, ready to cry.
"Bob, there's nobody here. Are we lost? What do we do?"
Bob refused to panic. He put on a brave face. "Relax. We're on vacation, right? We can camp anywhere. Night sky looks pretty good out here. Let's just stay the night."
He turned to Luke's group with forced cheer. "Sorry I dragged you out here, guys. Why don't we all camp together? I've got plenty of food in the car. We'll throw a little party!"
Luke looked at the stubborn man and smiled. "Sure. More people, more fun."
Brando started to object, but Luke shook his head and lowered his voice.
"We're on the right track. But it's pitch black now. You really want to drive around in the dark looking for a secret nuclear site?"
Brando sighed. "Fine. We'll leave first thing in the morning. Let them head back."
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