The sweltering heat of the Texan summer day invaded the car as it traveled past browned fields and the occasional group of trees. Driving the car all the way from the airport had seemed an easy enough task in her head, but her plan had soon proved to be a daunting, lonely chore to Kelly. The AC had ceased to work an hour ago, and the radio helped little in easing her battle with the never-ending stretch of highway before her.

"Oh c'mon…let there be one good station to listen to, please?" Kelly pleaded with some unknown power as she once again divided her attention between driving and playing with the radio knob. Just as she changed the station one last time, static emitted loudly from the speakers. She sighed, flipping her auburn hair behind her shoulder and rolling her sky-blue eyes heavenward before fixing them on the road in a determined glare.

"I'm going to kill Edward for suggesting I rent a car! This junk heap on wheels can't be worth a darn! Why did he have to move down here where its so unbearably hot!" Kelly had never been able to stand high temperatures for prolonged periods, and was the first to complain when she broke a sweat unintentionally. She didn't like subjecting people to long-winded whining, so she typically kept her fits to a single statement, albeit a highly sarcastic one that her friends would end up laughing at. Her good tempered nature often allowed such friendly ridicule, and she usually joined in the laughter. If they had been with her today, her friends would've been silenced with a deadly glare instead.

As Kelly's rented car continued to speed down the highway, a side road appeared that Kelly was certain wasn't on her map. "Strange…oh Lord, maybe it's a shortcut!" The unhappy demeanor that had settled on her features was suddenly replaced by a hopeful smile as she imagined arriving at her brother's house hours ahead of schedule. He wasn't expecting her for another week, but she had wanted to surprise him. "He'll be getting the verbal bashing of his life early!" Laughing to herself, Kelly turned onto the 'shortcut' and sped up, daydreaming about a cold shower and a comfortable bed.

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Four hours passed by, and Kelly had slipped back into a dark mood. Unsure of whether to turn back or continue on her mysterious and thus far unhelpful road, she had briefly stopped at an old gas station after she'd noted the car's need for fuel. Finding no one inside, she had concluded that it had been abandoned, cursed at her luck, and decided to keep going. The afternoon sun that had beat down on the world all day was now obscured by a fast-approaching dark cloud, a cloud that Kelly desperately hoped meant rain.

As it became apparent that a storm was destined to hit, Kelly noticed a shape in the road ahead of her. It was small, far away, but she could almost swear that it was moving. Upon speeding up the shape soon distinguished itself as a man, a tall man who was walking away from her.

"Maybe he can give me directions…" Kelly slowed down as her car rapidly caught up to her supposed aid. The man was much taller than she had first figured, a comparable giant next to everyone she knew. His dark brown hair was almost shoulder length and somehow suited him. A bloodstained apron covered an old, faded shirt and tie. Stopping the car just behind him, she had a view of the back of his head where something was tied atop his hair.

"Too low for a bandana…" she dimly registered, but didn't pay it much mind. "Excuse me, sir? Would you happen to know how far away the next town is from here?"

To her surprise the man continued to walk away from her, his gait unaltered even for a split second. "Maybe I'm being too quiet?" Kelly wondered as she slowly rolled the car closer to the man's side. She tried again.

"Sir? Could you tell me…" The stranger's abrupt stop startled her into silence. He stood, staring straight ahead at the road, silent as ever. Oddly enough, where Kelly normally would have been frustrated, she was instead fighting off curiosity. Against her better judgment, and arguably her sanity, she stopped the car and got out.

Leaning against the driver side door gave her an improved view of the person she had hoped would be her human map. As she regarded the silent man he slowly turned toward her, looking at her with a neutral countenance. Immediately she fixed her view on his face, particularly his brown eyes. He had a worn leather-like mask covering the lower half of his face; as much as she wanted to study it, she strategically ignored it. After all, Kelly wasn't keen on irritating or offending him…she needed this information, and he might well be her only shot at getting it.

"I'm a bit lost, Sir, and I was hoping that maybe you could tell me how far the closest town is?" She gave him a polite but genuine smile; she'd never been one to flash a fake. "Oh, and is there a gas station nearby? I'm running low."

The man remained silent but showed that he'd heard her by walking closer to her car, stopping a foot away from the passenger side, then pointing down the road. As Kelly attempted to comprehend what she assumed he'd 'said', a clap of thunder sounded loudly above the pair. Kelly jumped while the man simply looked up at the clouds.

"He must be used to this fickle weather…for crying out loud!" A fat raindrop had landed on her left shoulder. Looking at the darkening pavement, she realized that she didn't want to be rained on; without thinking Kelly looked at the man who had returned to staring at her.

"Get in!" The girl didn't stop for a response before getting in herself, and she hadn't needed to. The man didn't wait too long before opening the door and sitting next to her in the small vehicle.

"So…," Kelly began, feeling that conversation was needed, "where were you headed? Need a ride?"

The man nodded, sticking to what Kelly considered to be his 'pledge of silence,' and proceeded to stare at her again.

"What is this guy's deal? Is he shy?" At that notion Kelly had to force back a smile. "Where the hell was he walking to anyway?" Her eyes searched the road and surrounding landscape, but nothing significant came into view. She recalled passing by a run-down building with a faded company name on its wooden side a while back. "Maybe he was walking from there?"

While she was lost in thought Kelly failed to notice a pair of headlights that pierced the drab, gray horizon. As the car that the lights belonged to approached, however, the man to her side gave a small start when he took notice of it. Kelly looked from her acquaintance to the now parked car in surprise. Her surprise was rapidly replaced by excitement as a policeman exited his old-fashioned patrol car.

"Hello there Miss. Are you lost?" The cop bent down to look through Kelly's window.

"Somewhat, thank you for stopping Officer. Could you direct me to the nearest-"

"Thomas! The hell are you doin' out here boy? I said I'd be gettin' you late today!" The policeman had taken notice of the man sitting next to Kelly; evidently they knew one another.

"Oh, I was only asking him for directions…" She shut her mouth as the officer shifted his irritated gaze from Thomas to her. He seemed to marvel at her for a second before speaking again.

"I'm Sheriff Hoyt, and this is my nephew Thomas. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he didn't introduce himself…anyhow, we don't get a lot of people comin' through here no more, so we ain't got a gas station to speak of."

Kelly felt a pang of disappointment as she realized that her shortcut might have caused more trouble than help. "Is there anyway that I could…"

"You let Tommy in here?" Hoyt looked at her curiously.

"Well, yes. I didn't think he'd want to be rained on…why?" Kelly was intrigued by Hoyt's question.

"You from the city, Miss…?" He had ignored her question, but she wouldn't dream of pressing him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Kelly Hart, and I've never lived in a city." She offered her hand to Hoyt, who shook it firmly.

"Why don't you follow me to my house? We'll get you something to eat." Hoyt glanced at Thomas before giving Kelly a brief smile. She got the impression that he wasn't in the habit of showing kindness.

"Sounds great, thank you Sheriff." She smiled back, not wanting to turn down a free meal.

The sheriff gave a curt nod, returned to his patrol car, started it up and began driving. Kelly followed him for what seemed an eternity with Thomas as her quiet companion. Though she wanted to talk about something, anything, she figured her comments would go unanswered. She kept them to herself.