Part Eight:
End of summer, ’96

“What do the directions say, honey?”

“They say to stay on this for about five miles before making a left. I’ll let you know where, Mom.” Lexine stared out the window at the dark shapes of trees that raced by. Her brother slept in the backseat, tired out from a day of building Lego castles and seaports with Will, the son of her mother’s friend. They were driving home on the dark highway from the lady’s house, after staying later than her mother had planned. Lexine wasn’t surprised. Julia had said they’d be home by nine, in time to see The X-Files. It was now 10:48. She sighed. Mothers always ended up talking longer than they said they would.

“Is Brendan asleep?” her mother asked. Lexine nodded, then realized her mother couldn’t see her with her eyes on the road.

“Yeah,” she said. Reaching out, she flicked the dial on the radio and “Prison Sex,” by Tool, flowed out of the speakers.

“I'm treading water. I need to sleep a while. My lamb and martyr, you look so precious.” Lexine sang softly along with Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer. She had just closed her eyes and rested her head against the window when the car swerved, banging her forehead against the glass.

“Mom!” she began indignantly, but then she stopped when she saw a black van with painted red windows trying to ram into them from the side. “What’s going on?”

“That damn car is trying to run us off the road!” Her mother fought to keep control of the car and sped up. The van followed them and hit their blue Acura again. Her mother cursed and Brendan sat up in the backseat.

“What’s happening?” he asked, groggy from sleep. Lexine turned in her seat to talk to him.

“It’s okay, Bren,” she said. “Just go back to sleep. We’re having some problems with the car next to us.” Then they were hit from behind by another car and the Acura went off the road and into a ditch.

“My lamb and martyr…this will be over soon…” Maynard sang, and as Lexine felt the car begin to tilt, she remembered where she had seen that black van before. It belonged to Griff.