Rook and Mara hauled out of town before dawn, heading west. The air felt heavier now, the highway pulsing beneath the tires. Rook kept flexing his hands on the wheel, testing the strange pull of inertia around him. He could feel the weight of every passing vehicle, every shift in the wind.
Mara watched him with measured eyes. "The Road's feeding you right now. But don't mistake it for kindness. It'll turn on you in a mile if you push too hard."
"What about you?" Rook asked.
"I've been driving longer than I care to count," she said. "Long enough to know it only ends two ways. Burn out. Or fade into it."