Out of Gaz

Elly and her boyfriend Jake are driving through the Nevada desert on their way to California. They're arguing about money when she notices the gas gauge is near empty. Soon, the car putters to a dead stop. They both exit the car and search the horizon for any sign of life. They then see the silhouette of a crooked, limping figure appear through a ripple of heat. The figure approaches Elly and Jake. Should Elly [[tell her boyfriend to hide from stranger]] or [[wait to greet the stranger]]?

As the figure comes closer, he takes the shape of a man wearing a dirty green jacket and muddy pants. The couple both look at each other; they have a [[bad feeling.]] The man approaches them. He says he likes to wander the roads looking for lost spirits. That he is a hawk spirit, and that it is his duty to protect the young and weak. The couple don't trust this man and their throats begin to swell with fear. Jake has his phone clenched in his sweaty hand, ready to call 911, except his cell phone died. Elly goes to the car and notices her cell phone is missing. The dirty man offers to call his friend for help. Elly will [[tell him not to]] or [[nod and say that'd be great]]

The dirty man shrugs his shoulders and spits a steaming glob of tobacco onto the gravel. "It's no problem really," he says. Jake looks at Elly with soft eyes, pleading her to accept his help. "Might not be another car for hours," the man says. Elly surrenders to the men around her.

The dirty man calls his friend. Soon, a black Rolls-Royce comes crawling towards them. It pulls up next to them. The man inside steps out. A gust of cool stale air releases from his vehicle as if the door to a crypt had been opened. He is dressed in a suit and tie, has wet black hair, eyes like pits, and skin smooth and pale as milk, strange for the desert heat. He appears to be iridescent, and dry, as if he doesn't have any sweat glands in his body. “You folks run out of gas?" he says. "Yes," they say. “Hop in, I'll take you to the gas station just some miles down the road.” "I could walk, if you just tell me where to go," says Jake. "Not in this heat," says the man. "I won't allow it." Jake advises Elly to stay behind; he wont be long. Elly shall [[agree to stay behind]] or [[insist on coming along]]

Elly plants her feet beside their car. It's too hot to sit inside. She thinks about how happy she'll be once her boyfriend returns. Except, it's been over an hour since he's left. Something is very wrong. She searches inside the car for her cell phone - in between the seats, on the floor, and still can't find it. A dizzying panic starts to rise in her chest. She decides to stand alongside the road and wait for the next passerby in hope that they'll let her use their phone. Not a single car comes. It's starting to get dark. And she's getting thirsty, hungry, and feeling overwhelmed by a sense of doom. I could walk forward, walk somewhere, Elly thinks - but what if both men are lying, what if there is no town up ahead or behind or anywhere within walking distance? She'd risk getting lost. But she was risking more – her boyfriend could be getting [[tortured or murdered]] right now and there was nothing she was trying to do about it. Elly should [[grab her purse and start walking]] or [[sit in the car and cry]]

Ellys pulls Jake aside and whispers, "I'm not letting you go alone with that man, what if he's a lunatic?" "That's exactly why I don't want you coming along," he says. "But two people are stronger than one." "And makes for a better headline too. You're staying, we won't be long, I promise. Besides, his skin looks like Elmer's glue. I'll just dig my fingers in it and tear it apart if he acts funny." [[Elly kisses Jake good-bye]]

She gets in the car and starts to cry. But then she realizes she must save her tears - it's all the liquid she has left. She tells herself to get a grip, to calm down, that crying isn't going to solve anything. She puts her faith in her boyfriend, and tries to believe that he is ok, though she knows, in the pit of her gut, that she's lying to herself. She begins to pray that a car will come by. She stands again at the side of the road with a flash light (thank god she has that) ready to wave at the next car. About a half hour later she sees headlights and her heart fills with both fear and joy. [[She waves the flashlight, and the car, an old beat-up Buick, pulls over.]]

The air is dropping to a bitter cold. Elly knows she's tired but she feels as if her body is high off adrenaline. Nothing is going to stop her now. Not even the patch of red glowing eyes she swears she sees off in the distance. Soon, the road before her lights up and she quickly turns around. Headlights are approaching her and her heart leaps. She waves her flashlight back and forth. The car pulls over. The window rolls down. It's the dirty man. Her heart sinks. She knows she's going to die. “Can I use your phone?” she figures she'd ask. “Sure” he says to her amazement. She takes the phone from his hand and immediately dials 911 except the call isn't going through. "Sometimes you don't get the best reception out here," he says. "My boyfriend hasn't returned, [[do you know where he is?]]"

Except while Elly's running towards the car she imagines her boyfriend being hung upside from a meat hook and having his fingernails yanked off one by one. She stops in her tracks, closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. She turns around and marches on.

“Could I use your phone?” she figures she'd ask. “Sure” he says. She was amazed. She takes the phone from his hand and immediately dials 911 except the call isn't going through. "Sometimes you don't get the best reception out here," he says. "My boyfriend hasn't returned, do you know where he is?" "Oh sure," the man says. "They probably stopped at the bar downtown, with the go-go dancers and 50 ounce glasses of beer." "No, I'd don't think that'd happen." "I could take you to him if you want. It's where I'm headed myself. Elly should [[get in car with dirty man]] or [[say thanks but no thanks]]

Elly runs into the desert and falls down crying. She sees glowing red eyes off in the distance. Soon the dirty man comes running towards her. He grabs her arm and lifts her off the ground. "I can take you to your boyfriend miss, I swear on it," he says. Elly [[kicks him where it hurts]] or [[agrees to go with him]]

"If you pull anything on me I'll kill you," says Elly. The man laughs as she gets in the car. He drives away. Before long, they pull into the parking lot of a sleazy looking bar. Elly enters. Her boyfriend is sitting at the bar next to the man in a suit. He is wearing an over-sized cowboy hat and drinking out of a 50 ounce mug of beer. He doesn't even turn to look at her when she calls out his name. She wonders if being torn apart by a [[pack of coyotes]] would've hurt less.

"That ain't too smart miss," he calls after Elly as she turns her back to him. She ignores him and keeps walking. "I tell ya, I can take you right to your boyfriend in less than fifteen minutes, it ain't safe out here." Fifteen minutes? she wonders. "Really? only fifteen minutes?" "That's all it is, I swear." "No thank you." The man spits out his window and zooms off. She waits for him to leave and begins to walk forward. She'll see for herself. She has to. [[walk until she sees lights coming from a bar]]

THE END <img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BIpF05oQg_E/hqdefault.jpg"> <audio src="http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/space-audio/cassini/SKR1/SKR-03-324.wav" autoplay>

Out of Gaz [[Begin]] <audio src="http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/space-audio/vger8204-darker-3.wav" autoplay>

Elly and Jake run behind the car and duck down. "Just call for help from your phone," she says. He looks down at his phone and sees that the battery is dead. Elly sighs with frustration and goes to the car to get her phone. Except, it's missing. She looks up and the [[stranger]] is standing before her.

Elly walks about five minutes down the road until she realizes how dark it is quickly getting and her heart starts to pound faster and faster. Part of her wishes she was back at the car, because at least the car would give her shelter in case a wild beast appears and attacks her. There is still no car in sight. But then she thinks of her [[boyfriend's face]] and her heart becomes heavy and sad. She must walk on, for him. He needs me, she thought. She can feel him calling. [[keep walking]] or [[screw feelings and run back to the car]]

Elly enters the bar. Jake is sitting next to the man in a suit. He is wearing an over-sized cowboy hat and drinking out of a 50 ounce mug of beer. He doesn't even turn to look at her when she calls out his name. She wonders if being torn apart by a [[pack of coyotes]] would've hurt less.

Elly follows the man back to his car. "If you pull anything on me I'll kill you," says Elly. The man laughs as she gets in the car. He drives away. Before long, they pull into the parking lot of a sleazy looking bar. Elly enters. Her boyfriend is sitting at the bar next to the man in a suit. He is wearing an over-sized cowboy hat and drinking out of a 50 ounce mug of beer. He doesn't even turn to look at her when she calls out his name. She wonders if being torn apart by a [[pack of coyotes]] would've hurt less.

"Oh sure," says the man. "They probably stopped at the bar downtown, with the go-go dancers and 50 ounce glasses of beer." "No, I don't think that'd happen," says Elly. "I could take you to him if you want. It's where I'm headed myself." Elly should [[get in car with dirty man]] or [[say thanks but no thanks]]

The window rolls down. It's the dirty man again. Her heart sinks. She knows she's going to die. [[ask the man to use his phone]] or [[start running into the desert]]

Elly kicks him hard. He falls to the ground in pain and she runs as far away from him as possible. [[see into Elly's future using dirty man's magic hawk eye]]