As we walked toward my ludicrous truck, Myria slapped her hip and pointed. “This is that 1965 Jeep Gladiator from the Yard Sale inventory, isn’t it?”
I just shrugged. “Yeah, that’s what Emmy teleported down from on high. It’s ugly. And loud. And fucking kegstands fuel.”
She moved around the car, a strange admiration suffusing her face. “Oh, it’s absolutely hideous. But in a way that almost makes it cute again, right?”
Was this one of those emperor’s new clothes things? “I guess…?”
Myria walked back up to me. “You can disagree with me, Har Har. I hope you do. That doesn’t diminish my entirely misguided love for this big stupid truck.”
I grinned as I fished out the keys. “Do you want to drive this ghastly vehicle?”
She let out a truncated squeal as she grabbed the keys and raced for the door. “Sorry, sorry! That was rude. Yes, please, thank you!”
I rounded to the passenger side and climbed in just as she keyed the ignition. The wretched beast roared to life and Myria laughed like a maniac.
“Holy Hera it’s so loud!” she exclaimed with unbridled joy. And as I watched her face turn damn near incandescent, her eyes focused on me. The noise diminished, eased, morphed. Soon the beast was humming like one of the Safe Zone’s electric cars. The stench of burning petroleum alchemized into petrichor. Suddenly, I didn’t hate the beast. “There, is that better?” she asked as she reversed and then drove out of the parking lot.
“A lot better, actually. Did you change the engine somehow?”
“No, I am actively reorganizing the soundwaves and particles as they enter your aura.”
Confused blinking was all I could muster as a response.
“You hear a hum and smell rain. Everyone else still hears the Potluck Truck.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?
“That’s what I’m calling it.”
We drove for a little while in a surprisingly non-awkward silence. It was hot and humid but in a way I remembered. I stuck my head out the window a bit and let the air buffet my face. It was only a touch cooler, but it felt significant. I did this often back in MCK, letting the car drive me around of an evening, enjoying the air. “Where are we going?”
“Oh, I was just driving. I don’t have anywhere to go. Where should I head?”
A gas station appeared on our right and I pointed at it. “Stop in there, I’ll get us some provisions and then we can head to the porch in front of my motel room.”
“Ooh, see if they have a Zero bar. It’s one of the rare things exclusive to the Safe Zone that I actually like.”
I stared at her for a bit too long as I realized this “being” I was so mad at and scared of…was just a person. She looked at me expectantly, so I slapped the dash.
“Back in a flash.”
