Page 92 of Shadow Beasts

Dewey tapped his foot in the air as he tried to pull the seat belt around himself. “Pull into a gas station and ask for directions.”

“Are you kidding?” Paige unbuckled her seat belt and stretched into the back seat, feeling blindly for her tote bag.

“What?”

“First of all, someone just tried to kill us. I’m not stopping anywhere. Second, that’s a great idea. I’ll just pull into a gas station with a dragon wearing a dinosaur costume sitting in my passenger seat and a bullet hole in my windshield. And third,” she said, wrangling the tote into the front seat between them, “what century do you think this is? I’ll just get directions on my phone. Duh.”

“Yeah, fine, good. But it wasn’t that stupid. No one else is going to try to kill us, Paige.” Dewey rolled his eyes.

A thud sounded against Paige’s window. Both of them snapped their head in its direction.

The man, his head and wrist bloody, slouched against the car. Both Paige’s and Dewey’s mouths opened in wide, simultaneous screams.

“Drive! Just drive!” Dewey shouted.

Paige nodded while she sucked in a breath, yanked the shifter back, and slammed her foot on the gas. The tires screeched on the pavement as they fought to gain traction.

The man’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped to the ground again, unconscious. The car shot forward across the two-lane road and onto the ramp to the highway.

She glanced in the rearview mirror, tightening her already white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. The car continued picking up speed, rocketing up the ramp and merging into the highway’s lane.

Dewey dug through her tote and pulled out her phone. “Got the phone. I’ll pull up the directions.”

“Okay,” Paige said with a nod, fiddling with the controls on the dash.

“Stop playing around and drive.”

The radio blasted a heavy-metal song.

“I’m not playing around. I’m trying to turn on the AC. It’s hot in here,” Paige shouted over the music.

Dewey continued fiddling with the phone. “I’m not hot. Turn that music down.”

“I’m hot. I’m sweating.” Paige turned random dials until the fan kicked on, blowing at the highest setting possible.

Dewey squinted as he held his paw in front of his face. “Ugh, turn it down. You’re going to blow the horns right off my head.”

“I’m trying, I’m trying.” Paige glanced down at the controls, trying to turn the fan speed down and lower the temperature.

A car sped past them, blowing its horn.

Paige glanced up and swerved back into her lane. “Sorry!”

Dewey struggled to hold on to the phone as the car wobbled. “Watch it!”

“I’m trying to, but I can’t get the stupid temperature set.”

“Just watch the road, and I’ll do it.” Dewey leaned forward and fiddled with the buttons and knobs.

The blaring music turned off first before the fan speed ratcheted up again, blowing hot air throughout the car.

“That’s heat. Turn it off. It’s worse.”

“Sorry. Okay, I’ve got it now.”

The fan slowed, and the vents blew cool air.

Paige breathed a sigh of relief, adjusting the airflow to blow directly on her.