Getting Out

22

Chad couldn’t believe it. He woke up, drenched in sweat. But he was freezing cold.

His head ached like nothing he’d ever felt before.

He couldn’t remember what had happened for a full minute, and he stayed silent, in the hopes that people around him would talk.

He then realized he didn’t know where he was, or who he was with.

Was he with Marty and Danny again, on some kind of crazy mission, some midnight mischief?

He was in a car, in the backseat. He knew that much. They were driving through a horrible storm, somewhere way out in the woods.

Chad tried to stay silent, but it was too much for him.

“Danny, where the hell are you taking us, man? And what happened to my head?”

“Danny? Who the hell are you talking about?”

It all came gushing back to Chad. The memories.

The end of civilization. Oh yeah.

Damn it.

And then he remembered the worst part: he didn’t have his pills.

Max had stolen them from him, and then knocked him out.

Chad knew that he was going through withdrawal, which was strange, since one of the last things he remembered was being high off his ass. So that meant he must have been knocked out for a long, long time. No wonder his head ached so much.

“You gave my pills away, didn’t you?” he said to Max.

“Yeah, Chad,” said Max. “I did.”

“It was for a good cause, Chad,” said Mandy, speaking kindly. “There was a dying man. He was in so much pain… And you’re going to have to go through withdrawal anyway.”

On some level, Chad knew that he just wanted to be a dick because of withdrawal. He knew that it was screwing with his emotions. With everything. He knew that he wasn’t himself, but then again, he didn’t really know who he actually was. He didn’t know where he himself was.

Chad took a deep breath to try to calm himself.

But the rage was already pouring through him. It was too late.

“Shut the hell up, you sexy little bitch,” said Chad. “What the hell do you know about what I’ve been through?”

“Hey!” yelled Max. “Don’t talk to her like that, Chad. She doesn’t deserve that. I’m the one who gave the pills away.”

“You asshole,” said Chad. “Stop the car. I’m getting out. I don’t need your shit.”

“Where you going to go, buddy?” said Max. “You’re going to wander around the woods until you starve to death, or until someone finds you and decides you’re starting to look juicy to their grumbling stomach. You want to die, or be killed and eaten? Tortured? What do you want to happen, Chad?”

“I don’t give a damn,” said Chad.

He tried to open the door, but it didn’t open.

“Why won’t this piece of shit open?”

“I’ve got the child safety lock on,” said Max.

“You sanctimonious piece of shit,” shouted Chad. “Let me go die in peace.”

“Screw you, Chad,” said Max.

“Screw you, too.”

Chad lunged forward, not caring what happened to himself. He just wanted to express his rage. He wanted to hurt Max. He didn’t care that Max had saved him.

It happened too fast for Chad to understand what was happening.

Mandy swung something at him, something hard and made of metal. It collided with his skull, and he fell instantly unconscious yet again.