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Chapter 1:

The windshield wipers, already set and working at the maximum speed, proved useless in the battle against the torrent of rain that pounded against the glass barrier. Even with their furious wiping action that swept away the large droplets, still more followed and quickly, swept down by the raging wind generated by the storm which had not let up its strength since it began. AJ sighed as he gripped the leather steering wheel, hunching forward in the driver’s seat and reaching with his other hand towards the cool glass, attempting to wipe away the condensation that had begun to form on the inside, obscuring his view as the glass developed a thin layer of fog. It wasn’t much help and he fell back against his seat, easing up on the pressure he delivered to the gas pedal. The defrost was quickly switched on and he waited for it to clear.

AJ yawned, exhaustion creeping its way into every crevasse of his body. The weather just seemed to add to the dampening of his weary mood. If only he would have known that the weather was due to turn so ugly that evening, then he never would have taken it upon himself to brave the adventure back to the hotel alone. It never failed to make him feel terribly uneasy traveling in such conditions, a fear that he felt more comfortable keeping to himself. His stomach was twisting itself into tight knots, hunger and nerves mixing together and causing AJ to wish he would have listened to everyone’s warnings. But he had foolishly ignored his bodyguard’s offer to drive the rental car and accompany AJ back to the hotel and now he found himself stuck in the middle of a roaring storm, barely able to see a distance of two feet in front of him, and unable to tell if he was even heading in the right direction anymore.

Electric energy lit up the storming sky as a bolt of lightning struck, filling the black Mercedes with temporary light and outlining the expression of the fear that had long since masked AJ’s face. As it began to fade away, the dark shadows crept in, causing him to appear lifeless, his eyes seeming to sink into their sockets. Thunder followed shortly and AJ jumped. He squinted again, his brows creasing and perspiration forming in tiny droplets along his hairline. At that moment he wished he were elsewhere. Images of a warm shower and a comfortable bed crept their way into his mind. Another yawn escaped his lips before he could stop it and he groaned.

More lightning.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, although it wasn’t that silent to begin with due to the pounding rain and wind on the outside of the vehicle, AJ leaned over and switched the power to the radio on. He needed to wake up and keep his mind off the fact that the feeling of being lost on a set of back roads he wasn’t familiar with kept growing stronger. The device immediately came to life, the small narrow screen glowing a neon blue. The preset station was currently tuned into some mindless commercial and he quickly set to the channel surfing he was used to. He didn’t have a certain genre of preference in mind and was nonetheless surprised when he found himself stopping at one of the popular country music stations. Of course the country genre had never been much of a favorite of his, and AJ would never admit it, but he had started to become a closet country fan. The speakers produced a deep set of bass and electric guitars along with an accompaniment of drums to set the perfect rhythm of a familiar song. Only then did AJ recognize the voice as belonging to Tim McGraw and the song being “Real Good Man”. AJ tapped his hands lightly against the steering wheel, the rain pouring harder then ever.


Girl you've never known no one like me
Up there in your high society
They might tell you I'm no good
Girl they need to understand
Just who I am
I may be a real bad boy
But baby I'm a real good man

The wind slammed into the driver’s side, jerking the vehicle sharply to the side before AJ gained full control and maneuvered back into the center of the lane, staying a safe distance from the shoulder of the road. His heart hammered roughly against his ribcage. “Shit…” he whispered, drawing in a deep breath and scanning the small visible area in front of his eyes. It was nearly impossible to see through the down pour of rain. Try as he might, AJ couldn’t relax. His nerves, along with everybody’s, were completely out of whack with all the crazy stuff that had been going on lately. What the Hell had he been thinking? He couldn’t see anything outside the windshield beside the down pour, and with each minute that dragged by, AJ continued to drive himself into the land of the lost. Who was he trying to fool? He was lost, there was no denying it. And if his calculations were right, he’d been driving blindly for the past half an hour, sure as anything that he had long since missed the turn off he was supposed to have taken.

I may drink too much and play too loud
Hang out with a rough and rowdy crowd
That don’t mean I don’t respect
My Mama or my Uncle Sam
Yes sir, yes ma’am
I may be a real bad boy
But baby I’m a real good man


Dark silhouettes of the swaying trees that towered over the road were lit up in an instant from a bright flash that seemed to light up the whole sky. Shadows danced over the hood of the car and AJ just shook his head in disgust. ‘What was I thinking…’ He seriously began to consider finding a spot to pull off to the side of and wait the rain out. He knew he’d be receiving Hell already from security for being late. Ever since the recent threats, security had increasingly tightened, and AJ knew they were going to go off their knockers when he didn’t show up as scheduled. But the way he figured it, he might as well be safe then sorry and just wait the whole thing out on the side of the road, then chance anything happening.

I might have a reckless streak
At least a country-mile wide
If you’re gonna run with me
It’s gonna be a wild ride
When it comes to loving you
I’ve got velvet hands
I’ll show you how a real bad boy
Can be a real good man

AJ stretched his hand out to the passenger seat, feeling blindly for his cell phone. Security was going to have a shit fit, but at least he had the decency to phone ahead and check in like they demanded they all do constantly as of late when one of them was out of the safety bubble of their security guard. He flipped the device open upon finding it and out of habit, whipped his thumb over the seven digits, dialing the number he knew from memory. He braced himself for the lecture he knew was sure to follow shortly. However, the call failed to even connect and before AJ could ponder it, three sharp tones resounded against his ear drum. He pulled the phone away from his ear, dragging his eyes away from the windshield a short moment to study the small screen. “No service…just great,” he grumbled.

I take all the good times I can get
I’m too young for growing up just yet
Ain’t much I can’t promise you
‘Cept to do the best I can
I’ll be damn
I may be a real bad boy
But baby I’m a real good man

I may be a real bad boy
Oh but baby I’m a real good man
Yes I am

A loud series of honks tore AJ’s attention away from the phone. He quickly glanced towards the rear-view mirror, surprised to find twin lights glaring back at him in the reflection. It seemed the second vehicle had appeared out of nowhere; one minute he was completely alone on the desolate road, the next he was being tailgated. The car honked again and AJ looked down only to realize that his foot had slipped off the gas pedal between the time he had grabbed the phone and the time he had dialed the number. The vehicle’s speed was steadily decreasing and AJ quickly applied pressure to the pedal, though still keeping it under the limit. He continued to glance back and forth between the mirror and the road in front of him.

“Go around me,” he gritted under his breath as the pursuing vehicle slammed on it’s horn a third round. The driver failed to relent and closed the space even further between the two cars. AJ was forced to raise a hand in front of the mirror, shielding away from the bright headlights, “Go around me, damnit.” The gesture received no response out of the other driver and finally he turned around, hastily attempting to ignore and focus on getting back to the hotel safely or finding some spot to pull off to side and stop. Whichever came first.

Then, without warning, AJ felt himself being roughly jerked forward in his seat, a force of great strength slamming into the Mercedes’ fender. “What the fuck?!” he gasped, the flip phone slipping from his hand and clattering to the passenger floor. He looked up just in time to see the vehicle fall back several paces, it’s brights flashing off and on, before quickly gaining it’s speed and roaring down on him again. “Holy shit!” AJ hit the pedal to floor with his foot, gripping the wheel to the point of his knuckles turning white. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he looked in the rearview mirror again. The car sped up and hit the fender, causing him to swerve dangerously on the slick road. AJ screeched as he gained control. Whoever was driving definitely had no intention to go around.

Lightning lit up the entire sky and the thunder rolled, droning out the honking that pursued from behind. Panic swept over as AJ twisted the car into the opposite lane and back, desperately trying to avoid another collision. It proved useless as the driver followed, connecting to the fender a third time. AJ tried to reach down and grab his cell phone, but was thrown into the dash from the violent hit. He cursed, knowing he had no way of contacting anybody and absolutely no way of getting out of the situation. A feeling of complete dread washed over him and his entire body went rigid as he glanced ahead to see a rather sharp corner turn approaching quickly. There was no escape to either side, his speed of acceleration was already dangerous in the current weather conditions.

The car behind whipped out to the side, speeding up side and side with AJ’s car. Even with the continuous flashes of lightning, he could not see through the tinted windows, unable to get any description of the other driver. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" AJ cursed louder, knowing he either had to push the guy away from him or take a risk and get pushed over the sharp curve in the road. Either way could and probably would end in disaster. But before he gave it a second thought, AJ jerked the wheel towards the other car, wincing as he heard metal crush upon metal. Sparks lit up on the passenger's side as the cars pushed against one another.

The corner got closer.

"Leave me the Hell alone!" he yelled in frustration, more so of fear, pushing harder against the other vehicle. The driver didn't relent, and in fact, seemed to be winning. His eyes scanned from side to side, noting his surroundings. To his right, furthest away from the other car, loomed a jagged rock wall, threatening anything and everything with it’s presence. To his left…he couldn’t see over the side. There was a thin metal barrier that wasn’t comforting and AJ had no way of guessing how far down the other side was.

Closer.

Sweat dripped down AJ’s temples now in large droplets, his hands glued to the leather wheel. Perspiration caused his clothes to cling tightly to his skin like a thick layer of wet sludge. The Mercedes jolted from the continuous collisions and as much as he tried to fought back, the other car hit his that much harder. The sharp corner was approaching ever the more quicker as both cars zoomed along the rain-slicked road. "I'm fucked. I am so fucked…” AJ chanted beneath his breath, slamming his foot against the gas in a last attempt to outrun this ‘madman’, assuming that’s exactly what the person.

With one wrong move, AJ’s world was turned completely upside down.

The malicious driver slammed a final time into the driver’s side, sending the Mercedes cascading directly at the rock wall. AJ’s hands slipped off the wheel, a silent scream escaping his lips before the initial impact. Metal buckled against rock and blinding pain was the last thing AJ felt before all light was sucked out of the world and he was thrown into a realm of darkness.