We were wandering through a dry and dusty unknown town, with buckets of sweat pouring down our faces. There I was sitting in the passenger seat of a semi-truck with a woman that I barely knew behind the wood-grained wheel.
Her dingy tank top and black snapback hat cocked to the side was enough for me to see she was quite the woman. The radio buzzed as a pair of beads clicked and clacked the front mirror, filling the air like cream inside a donut.
Then for some strange reason, a change occurred—her behavior became chaotic. I knew something was off when she smashed her foot on the gas and sent us up a gated hill as if someone were chasing us.
Deep inside something spoke that we both were in danger.
It all felt like a Zack Snyder film and what I remember most is floating across the sky, soaring over this rusty gate and surprisingly without much effort for a semi. The landing, however, shook us on the inside, making anyone suspect an earthquake had occurred.
When the truck finally halted there were a pair of train tracks staring at us through the front window, which began to crack like weak sheets of ice. It was all happening so fast that by the time my vision returned, I glanced over at the woman and saw the seat belt holding her lifeless body tight.
Her right pants leg began to stain a deep red. I kept looking for signs of life until I could see that her stomach was swaying in and out. It was subtle and it didn’t look like she had much time left.
We had to get out, and fast, as moments later a loud but distant whistle began marching outside. It got closer, and louder, and closer. The truck’s insides began to vibrate more and more. It was as if I had a second heartbeat.
A train was coming!
I don’t know how but my legs took a life of their own and my mind thoughtless. It was like something came over me because one minute we were inside this mess of a truck sleeping on its side and the next scrawling our way through what used to be the windshield.
I started to call her any name I could think of. Whatever it was I kept calling, telling her we’ll be alright as I dragged her along my shoulder as far as I could and away from the carnage.
This train was coming in too fast to stop on time. And then it happened.
All you could see were large shards of metal and white smoke dancing in the wind. What was left of her truck was unrecognizable at that point.
So there I was, with this woman that I don’t remember knowing and looking to find a safe place for both of us to settle our wounds. I could hear her shallow breathing and her leg in dire need of aid. Before I could register my own fatigue from all the mayhem, I raised my head into the sun’s glare and spotted what seemed to be a white van appearing from behind the dust. It was a lady!
She yelled out if we needed any assistance.
With the heaviness of my head holding me hostage I found enough strength to reach her vehicle as I shouldered this woman. The lady’s face looked haunted yet scattered at the same time. The slight wrinkles and light blue shirt and pants suggested she might’ve been the right person to run into. As her car door opened it was as if a guardian angel in the flesh came out. I even saw a pair of wings, or maybe my imagination and body were running off extreme levels of stress.
My hands began to jitter as I checked on her pulse. I asked the lady if she knew where a hospital was but from her expression it seemed out of the question. Her eyes peered back to the road. I suddenly felt a bit of relief and fell asleep.
As I woke, we arrived to a place that could I only described as an oasis. It was like we traveled through time and to distant world unlike the desert world we were on before.
The next morning, I awoke to the scent of eggs frying and bread permeating the air and cinnamon. My favorite. The aroma was too much to not investigate but there I saw her, holding a pair of utensils and swirling them around a mixture I had no clue about.
A family recipe she tells me. Her arms kept going back and forth, swirling this mix of goop around until it started to form into a cake. I had never seen anything like it before. She pulled the bread from the oven and offered a piece.
One swoop from her knife and there I stood, having a stare off against a big ass slice with specks of raisins calling my name. I must’ve been starving because the second I blinked it disappeared and my stomach went to work.
But who was this mysterious lady? No name again.
She turned her head at me, placed her warm hand upon my face and melted away my worries. Peace never felt this present before but I recognized it like an old friend from childhood. She informed me that the woman was in another room, resting, but her injuries were severe.
Again I asked if we needed a hospital but she replied we could go if we wanted, then reminded me she had everything needed to take care of us both.
I kept pacing around wondering if she was a doctor or some kind of nurse. Something just felt odd about this and yet my gut wasn’t alarmed, not in the least.
As she turned away humming a tune, she collected her knife and began cutting the cake she made and turned to me saying, “I’m something like that,” with a smile that hinted more.