I have to maintain peak focus because at this speed, anything less than driving perfectly straight could lead me into a fishtail and flip the car. I’ve read stories about people dying in car crashes where they were only going thirty-five miles per hour, so triple that and it’s a near certainty I’ll be dead.
I’m alongside the black car now but I can’t see the driver yet. I look forward and see there’s a bend in the road ahead, which I’ll have to slow down for. I don’t trust myself taking a turn at these speeds with a car next to me.
Inch by inch, I make my way next to the black car. I honk again, trying to get their attention so they’ll slow down. I’ve already far exceeded the speed I’m comfortable driving, but I give Abby’s car one last push forward so I can see the driver. I’m now completely parallel to the car and turn to look.
There’s nobody in the car.
I peek forward to make sure I’m not going to crash; the turn up ahead is only seconds away. I look back again at the car to make sure my eyes didn’t deceive me, but again I see there’s nobody in the driver’s seat. The steering wheel is turning ever so slightly, but nobody is in that car. Not in the driver’s seat, nor the passenger or back seat. It’s completely empty!
To avoid a collision, I slow down enough that I’m a little behind the car when I make the bend in the road. The black car doesn’t slow down at all.
With the massive torque being put on Abby’s car, I have to slow down further to keep the car from flipping over. The black car is far riskier than I am, but I guess if there’s nobody inside it’s easy to take chances.
I pull into the right lane so I can draft behind it. I look closely at the driver’s backseat to see any glimpse of a head or anything, but there’s nothing there. I watch closely for a couple minutes and can’t believe this is happening.
Seeing no good reason to chase after it any longer, I ease up on the gas pedal and watch as the black car takes off in front of me. I make a complete stop on the highway and it’s not long before the car is out of view.
What was that car, and why was nobody inside? I’ve read about self-driving cars but never seen one in person. I know in some states it’s legal but still requires someone to actually be in the car in case something goes wrong.
Why was it going that fast? Did it malfunction? I look down at my map to locate I-40 and see I’m going east instead of south on I-65, where I planned on going.
From the article I read, self-driving cars can be programmed with a destination address in their little computers, and then they use GPS to map out where you are and the best path to get to your destination. It has a sensor at the top that figures out if there are cars around you, when to stop at stop signs, what lane you’re in, and all the other information you need to know as a driver. I watched an online video where someone tested its capabilities by walking out in front it, and it automatically slammed on its breaks. Pretty impressive technology.
The self-driving cars I’ve seen each had a big video camera that sat on top of the car to monitor its surroundings. This car didn’t have that; it looked like a normal car. This only makes my day even stranger; not only are there no people around, but now I have a magical car driving around entirely by itself.
Something I’m starting to realize is the pattern of my car sightings. I see a car every morning around this time. I can’t remember anything the first day, but on the second day a car drove by when I was coming out of the supermarket. Yesterday morning, I saw a car driving on the opposite side of the highway. And now today, I had my run-in with a car with no driver.
If something happens twice, I would say it’s coincidental but three days in a row is strange.
I tell myself there wasn’t a car on the first day, but I’m not sure that’s true. I remember driving to work and thinking I saw a car driving down the block off in the distance. I wasn’t paying enough attention to notice for sure, but it’s a strong possibility there was a car driving by. If so, then that’s four mornings in a row I saw a car without seeing another one again the rest of the day.
That can’t be a coincidence. If I wake up tomorrow and it happens again, I’ll know without a doubt I’m a part of someone’s sick joke.
I drive up to the nearest U-turn and head west to get back on I-65 toward Mobile. It’s still morning, but already I can’t wait for this day to be over.
If I’m being pranked, there’s no telling what I may do. I have a pellet gun and an ax, and I’m not afraid to use them. If I catch up to the black car again, I might just intentionally wreck it. That will show them not to mess with me. When I woke up this morning, I thought my first priority was getting to Mobile. Now, I think my top priority is getting a pistol. Then I can shoot at the tires of the black car instead of killing myself trying to wreck it.
Where I’m going to find a gun store I have no idea. The map shows there isn’t another large town until Birmingham, which is a couple hundred miles away. I don’t have any idea where a gun store is in that town, but when I get there I’m not going to leave until I find one.
After about ten minutes I find I-65. I don’t want to think about the black car or the depressing situation I’m in any longer so I put in a Metallica CD and start jamming.
I try to do anything I can to distract myself but I can’t get the black car off my mind. Even if there is someone doing some sick prank on me, at least that means there is someone out there. It gives me hope I’ll find someone else, so I won’t be alone anymore.
I can already tell this is going to be a long day. I look down for something with entertainment value but all I see is my bottle of Jack Daniels, which is very tempting. I don’t have any effects of a hangover from yesterday, not that I was expecting one. I learned in college that you can prevent hangovers almost one hundred percent if you just drink plenty of water.
Twenty minutes pass and I look down again at the whiskey bottle that’s calling my name. Screw it; nobody is here to judge me. I’ll just have one sip.
I pull over to the side of the road and fix my favorite concoction. I make it with only a quarter whiskey and the rest Coke — it is morning after all.
I drink half of the cup before putting it down, and immediately I feel better. I ask myself why I don’t drink more; I’m so happy when I’m intoxicated. Being drunk is also when I get my best ideas. My streamlined payment processor idea came when I was hammered one Friday night. The idea, I think, was slowly forming in the back of my mind, but the alcohol brought it to the forefront and gave me the courage to take action on it. Perhaps drinking now can help me think up a better idea of where to go next.
After I finish my first glass, I decide it’s OK to make another. It seems silly to pull the car over again so I untwist the cap with one hand and start pouring, making sure to keep the car on the road.
I look at the bottle and see I’ve drank a lot over the past twenty-four hours. I don’t know if I should be proud of this or ashamed. If Abby were watching me she’d be furious at what I was doing. She’s the ultimate rule follower and would have no tolerance for this reckless behavior. It’s a good thing she isn’t here then, because this is fun! I would never do something like this if there were a chance of being pulled over and arrested, but since that ship has sailed I have no problem bending an old rule or two.
The second glass goes down smoother than the first — it always does. I know I should stop but I’m reminded of my long drive ahead and figure I might as well keep the party going. I don’t even feel tipsy yet.