Lachlan had always liked driving at sunset.
There was something about the way the light flattened the world, pulled the sharp edges off things, made even wreckage look almost peaceful for a few minutes. It was easier to pretend then, easier to breathe, easier to joke like the world wasn't constantly trying to eat them alive.
The truck rolled steadily forward, tires humming against the road as dust lifted behind them in a lazy plume.
Sera sat in the passenger seat with Oogie Boogie tucked under one arm, humming again like she had been earlier, the tune drifting in and out of hearing whenever the engine pitch changed. Luci was sprawled in the truck bed, his massive body loose and content even as his ears twitched at every new sound but otherwise relaxed in a way that meant he trusted the moment.
They had lost him in the middle of the fight, but since he came back with his head covered in blood, Lachlan had assumed that he decided to have a quick meal, too.
