Interstate Blues

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Dead Zone

January 1st, 2020
Interstate 40 East, Tennessee

"I still can't believe we're leaving them behind like that," Will grumbled, while they drove further and further away from Foghills, toward some town called, South Fork way out in Virginia.

"They'll be fine. They're experts in their fields. They'll be able to handle it. Just trust me." Ash rolled his eyes, just as fed up as the rest of them with the pissy mood Will had been in for the last six hours since they'd left Kit's property.

"How're you on the ingredients for that camo spell you've been using?" Jack changed the subject entirely. They had a long way to drive, and he didn't want to get stranded in the middle of the flatlands when witches or other monsters attacked them.

"I'm getting low. We'll have to stop tomorrow sometime so I can stock up again." Marley's voice was slightly muffled as she looked through her favorite shoulder bag for everything she needed.

"I'll keep a lookout for any good stores. Hey, guys, how're we all doing on money?" Jack locked eyes with Ash through the rearview mirror and they shared a look.

"I'm poor as dirt," Marley blurted out with a grin, and Will nodded similarly.

"Me too." Ash glanced out the window at the darkened passing scenery, as they drove through Tennessee headed for Nashville.

Jack's mouth opened in shock. "I gave you all two grand. How did you spend it that fast? And didn't we each get paid a hundred for the Tolliver job?"

"Food." Ash shrugged.

Will mimicked his gesture. "Technology."

Marley shot Jack a sheepish smile through the rearview mirror. "Ingredients for my spells aren't cheap."

Jack shook his long dark curls out of his eyes, resisting the urge to slam his head against the steering wheel multiple times. "Well, I guess we're gonna be making stops along the way to sell weed. We're not gonna get by on a job by job basis."

"Selling weed?" Will groaned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"There's a storage compartment in the very back and it's filled with a shitload of weed that we got from Lee." Jack stoically ignored the dirty looks he got from Ash. "What? He's gonna find out at some point."

"What if we get pulled over?"

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "If I hadn't told you would you have figured it out?" he asked, not receiving a response in return. They all knew what it would've been anyway.

"I've got a few buddies we can sell in bulk to," Ash spoke up sourly. "I'll give you directions when we get close. Just stay on course though."

Marley was in the middle of asking a question about the town they were headed to, when Jack's phone rang suddenly in his pocket. "Hello?" He unintentionally cut her off as he kept most of his focus fixed on the road ahead of him.

"Jack? Is that you?" a voice hissed frantically on the other end of the line.

"Sophia? Yeah, it's me. Is everything okay? Why are you whispering?"

"I need your help. Stix and I are trapped, and the people in this fucking town have gone insane. Please, Jack. You need to get your ass out to South Fork, Virginia as soon as you fucking can!" Their connection started breaking up as she spoke.

"We're on our way there, now. We'll be there soon, just hold on, okay? What's happening?"

"We're trapped in the basement of some kind of warehouse. I've only met a couple survivors, but everyone's getting picked off one by one. I saw a few other Exterminators, but we've all been separated. I think whatever's making these people this way... it's gotta be spreading somehow. There were only three or four cases when we arrived here a week ago. Now the whole town has descended into chaos. We have to contain this, Jack." Sophia's voice crackled in and out as their connection kept getting interrupted.