DARK EMPTY ROAD

Duke and Eddie walked into the gas station. Eddie pulled the .22 pistol out of his pocket and pointed it at the security guard. Duke went to the register.

“This is a hold up, you son of a bitch,” Duke said. He pointed his snub nose at the clerk’s face. “Open the drawer and empty the cash into a bag.”

“Don’t move,” Eddie said to the security guard. Then his gun went off with a loud pop. The security guard looked down at his chest. There was a small hole leaking blood. He fell over dead.

“Wew-hoo!” Duke shouted. “We’re cooking with bacon grease now!”

He turned back to the clerk behind the register and smiled. The clerk emptied the cash drawer into a plastic bag.

Duke’s blood was pumping. He could barely contain himself. He felt himself getting hard with excitement. Fear radiated from the clerk’s eyes. A dark deadly energy.

 “I shot him Duke,” said Eddie.  “I shot him.”

“Just watch that door, Eddie,” said Duke. “Let me know if someone’s coming.”  The snub nose bobbed up and down in the clerk’s face. The clerk handed Duke the plastic bag. Duke pointed the snub nose so close to the clerk’s face the man could almost feel the cold steel of the barrel.

“Remember. I could have killed you,” Duke said. He took the pistol away from the clerk’s face. Duke felt great. He felt alive. To be this close to death was divine.  “You’re going to remember this for the rest of your life aren’t you?” he said to the clerk.  Duke’s pimpled skin beaded with sweat. 

“Someone’s pulling up, Duke.” Eddie said.

“You have to leave one behind to tell the story, Eddie. That’s the rule. It’s your lucky day, mister,” said Duke.

 “Come on Duke, let’s go,” said Eddie. He had the door open and he was ready to bolt.  Duke turned away and started towards the exit. He stepped over the security guard and made his way outside as a man and woman were getting out of a black SUV.

“Nice car,” Duke said to the woman. She saw the gun and she screamed. Duke raised the snub nose and shot her in the head. Blood and brains splattered across the SUV window.

“Shit, Duke,” said Eddie.

“I got one,” said Duke. He smiled. Then he shot the man. His body fell to the pavement.  “That’s two to one, Eddie”

Duke and Eddie skidded out of the gas station parking lot. The two bandits cruised south on the interstate with no clear idea of where they were going. They were running on pure instinct now, the adrenaline in their veins pumped full throttle. Eddie’s hands gripped the Buick’s steering wheel like two vices. Sweat ran like rivers down his acne riddled face. Duke sat in the passenger seat and counted their take from the gas station.

“Well?” Eddie said. “What’s the take?”

Duke relaxed in the Buick’s cushioned seat and fished a half smoked cigarette from the ashtray. 

“One-eighty-five.”

They rode on in silence. Duke tapped his pistol against the faded threads of his blue jeans. 

 “We’re gonna need more,” Duke said. He shoved the crumpled bills into his wallet and threw the leftover bag of change into the Buick’s center console.

“What do we need more for, Duke?” 

Duke tossed his cigarette butt out and rolled up the window.

“Because, we can’t do shit with a hundred and eighty-five bucks, Eddie. What the fuck are we supposed to do with that, huh?”  Duke was angry. Eddie almost side-swiped a little Honda that had snuck up in his blind spot.

Duke ran a hand through his stringy black hair.

“If we’re gonna go to Mexico then we’re gonna need more cash, Eddie.”

 “Mexico? What are you talking about, Duke? We can’t go to Mexico.”

“Why? You think we can go home now, Ed? We’re on the run, man. Our faces are going to be all over the news and the cops are going to be looking for us. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to get caught for murder.”

“Murder?”

“Yeah. Murder. That’s what happened back there, Ed. You shot the old man and I blew holes in the pretty blond and her boyfriend.”

Eddie had the Buick’s gas pedal to the floor.

“We never said anything about Mexico, Duke,” said Eddie.

“Well, we never said anything about shooting people either, did we?”

 “That was an accident, Duke.”

“Listen, Eddie. They got you on camera shooting that old man. You think they’re gonna let you walk on that? It’s not like we’re hard to find. They’ve been to you house so many times they have your address memorized.  They practically have a direct line to my house. I’m not going out like that, Ed. You can forget it. That’s murder one, buddy, you know what that means?” He slapped Eddie on the head to make sure he had his friend’s full attention.

“Answer me, Eddie. You know what that means?”

“The death penalty.”

“That’s right, big Ed,” said Duke. “The death penalty. I’m not going out like that. Not me. Not when I can just knock a few gas stations over on the way to the border and live like a king once I get to old Mexico. We can go down to Cancun and bang a different bitch every night for the rest of our lives, Eddie. This is our chance to have something, man. Our whole lives, we never had shit. Never. Now I’m taking shit. And I’m taking it to Mexico.”

They drove on for another hour or so, going south on I65. They passed through Guntersville without even realizing it. The small lake town was asleep by the time the two outlaws rolled through. The road merged with the interstate again and the Buick picked up speed. They blasted forward and plunged into the depths of the night. Two mad men riding on the razor’s edge.

They headed west. The click of Duke’s snub nose broke up the silence in the car. He spun the cylinder and plotted their course. Mexico seemed like a good idea for now. Once they got to Mexico he could figure out what came next.

“We’re getting low on gas, Duke.”

“Take the next exit.”

Eddie didn’t want to stop. He wanted to keep on driving as far as the Buick would take them. He didn’t like being out here in the boonies. Everything was darker out here. The air was heavy with fog.

 “You think they’re looking for us yet, Duke?”

“Oh, yeah,” Duke said. “I’m sure of it. Hell, they got our faces on camera didn’t they?”

Duke laughed.

“No use worrying now, Ed. If they were going to catch us, they already would have, right? We’re on the road now. Can’t you feel it? Don’t you sense the freedom? Anything could be waiting out there for us, Eddie. Anything. Don’t you feel it?”

“Yeah, Duke. I feel it.”

They passed a green exit sign that said NEXT EXIT 1 MILE and Duke nudged Eddie on the shoulder.

“Take this exit.”

“Sure, Duke.”

      A mile up the road they pulled off the exit and came to a stop where the offramp intersected a small two-lane road. Eddie took a left. The Buick’s headlights shot out like beacons. Shadows haunted their blurred periphery.

Duke reached over and clicked the Buick’s radio on. He wanted to hear if they had made the news. He couldn’t get a signal so he clicked the radio off again. He stared out the window. A blanket of stars quilted the moonless night sky. The road Eddie followed stretched out into the darkness all around them with no place to turn around. No street lights or lane reflectors lined the path. The night only offered them darkness.

“This road’s not going anywhere,” said Duke, “Take the next turn and get us back on the interstate.”

 “Sure,” said Eddie.

 “Go faster, Eddie,” said Duke.

The Buick’s massive engine roared down the two-lane highway.

“There’s nothing out here, Duke,” Eddie said. “Think we should go back the way we came?”

“Just keep going until we see something, Eddie.”

 “Come on, Duke, let’s just turn around. We’re almost out of gas.”

“Shut up, Eddie.” Duke’s knee bounced up and down and the snub nose tapped against his thigh.

“We need gas, Duke.”

“Goddammit, Eddie!”

 Eddie jumped and the big Buick swerved and fishtailed.

 “If we turn back now, we’ll for sure run out of gas,” said Duke. “Just keep going straight.”

The car slowed the car down. Eddie looked at the gas gauge. It read empty. The Buick rolled to a stop in the darkness like a pilgrim in a strange land. The headlights shone out like a candle in the crushing darkness of night. 

Duke punched the dashboard.

“Damn it!” Duke let it out in one long scream. He wanted to blow Eddie’s face off. Like he did to the lady back in town. Her face had exploded.

“What are we gonna do now, Duke?”

Eddie’s words come out like dry ash. In the darkness of the Buick’s interior Eddie saw a shadow cross over Duke’s face.

 “We walk,” said Duke.

The dome light filled the cabin as Duke opened the door. He stepped outside. Darkness was all around him. There were no stars, no moonlight.

“Come on, Eddie.” Duke said. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Duke slapped the Buick’s hood with the flat of his hand because Eddie didn’t react fast enough.

“C’mon, Eddie.”

Duke’s voice was a stone dropped into a deep well. 

 “You gonna leave the lights on?”

Eddie reached in through the window and pushed the light switch.  Darkness descended upon them like a blanket. Eddie could barely make out Duke’s silhouette from the other side of the Buick.

“It’s dark,” said Eddie.

“It sure is.” Duke pulled the snub nose’s trigger. The shot popped like a firecracker and the bright flash blinded them both. Eddie felt the bullet whiz past his head. He tried to run and he tripped. He fell to his knees. A second shot rang out. Another flash. Another bullet whizzed past him.

      Eddie scrambled to the rear of the Buick. He stayed low and tried to keep the car between them. He heard Duke’s footsteps. Eddie tore his pistol from his pocket. He fired into the darkness.

      Duke’s body hit the pavement. His head made a sick cracking sound when it hit the asphalt.

      “Eddie.” Duke’s voice was low and dry.

      Eddie heard Duke’s breathing. It sounded wet.

      “You got me, Eddie. I’m done.” His words came out slow and shallow and thin as paper. “I’m all out. You got me.”

Duke struggled for breath. He felt his own blood filling his lungs.

“Damn,” said Duke.

Eddie’s slow footsteps approached from the darkness. Duke gazed up into the starless night sky. Eddie’s silhouette fell over him.  Duke’s skin looked like the skin of a pale gray ghost who wasn’t ready to leave. “Why did you shoot at me, Duke? What was I supposed to do?”

      Eddie dropped the gun into the darkness, discarded and forgotten. He knelt down next to Duke. He felt Duke’s warm blood soak through his blue jeans. He cradled Duke’s head in his lap.

      “Eddie,” Duke’s voice was barely above a whisper. There was a sickening wetness that came from deep within. 

      “What is it Duke?”

      Duke’s voice was barely above a whisper. Eddie crouched low to hear. He could feel Duke’s hot breath rake against his cheek. Duke’s body trembled. Vacant eyes rolled back and stared up at Eddie. Duke was gone.

Eddie sat in the road with Duke’s head in his lap. A feeling of calmness settled over him. He was stranded on this dark empty road and he was alone. He struggled to get Duke’s body inside the car. His shirt was wet with Duke’s blood.

Eddie turned and walked away. His feet dragged against the pavement. He didn’t know where he was going and he didn’t care. The dark empty road stretched out before him and he followed it.

                                                            The End