When Dexter left home, he expected a cross-state road-trip to college. He didn’t expect a trip down the rabbit hole that would rival Alice’s. He stretched slightly as he kept the pressure on the gas of his hatchback. “Okay,” He began. Speaking out loud always helped to solidify his thoughts. “Thirty minutes to the next town, get a room for the night, maybe some food then off to Atlanta in the morning.” Dexter let out a low growl. Thirty minutes was starting to seem generous with the storm the was starting to bear down on the road. It didn’t help that the sky was pitch black, save for the momentary lightning strikes, throwing a strange green light across the sky. The rumbling thunder could be heard even over the radio, which played soft static. The only station that Dexter could pick up out here was some Death Metal station and he’d rather not listen to near-incomprehensible screaming right now. “Take the back roads you’ll avoid going slow” He berated himself, a little angrily. “The only thing I’ve avoided is the cars that would be on the highway.”

Dexter squinted ahead trying to see past the sheets of rain, the last thing he wanted was to wreck in the middle of nowhere. He glanced up as another explosion of green raced across the sky. “I don't know what they're dumping out here, but it can't be good if it's turning the clouds green.” He rounded the uphill turn spotting the first streetlight in five miles. “There we go, getting cl-” He was cut off as a green flash appeared in front of him and the whole world seemed to blink. The road beneath him just … disappeared.

In a moment of panic, he stepped on the brakes. Dexter had half a second to register what had happened before his car started to tilt forward and a new ground rose up to meet him. “SHIT SHIT SHIT FUCK!!!” He screamed, tightening his grip on the wheel. His car was now flying through the air, wheels spinning uselessly in the air. Dexter had another second to scream more profanity before his wheels slammed into the side of the hill. His rear tires bounced as the suspension absorbed most of the impact, causing his belongings to jump.

The car began to spin. Dexter tried desperately to keep his front-facing forward; if he was going to hit anything he might as well see it coming. “STOP STOP STOP STOP” The uneven slope was jostling everything around and giving his hatchback no opportunity to slow. He felt the car jump as it hit something beneath the snow and threatened to tip over. Dexter was flooded with adrenaline as his car spun once, twice, three times before the hill finally started to level out. The slope gradually flattened as he began to gain a modicum of control and he came to a slow and shaky halt in a clearing.

Dexter took three deep breaths trying to slow his heart rate. “FUCK!” He screamed, trembling slightly. “What the fuck was that?” had the road collapsed in front of him? Did he just go screaming down the only big hill in Florida? He clenched his eyes shut, desperately trying to decide what to do next. The pounding in his ears oddly helped him remain focus and gave him a tempo to think to. “That definitely could have gone better” Dexter decided as his heart finally started to slow. His hands still trembled slightly as they gripped the wheel, knuckles likely white against the black leather.

“You should make sure you can drive out of here,” He thought to himself. “Okay,”

He said shakily. “let's start with the basics. Is my engine still running?” He opened his eyes. His glasses were skewed on his face, giving him a half clear vision of the dashboard. He repositioned his glasses so that he could see. The familiar hum of the engine was gone, but he still had the dials at various positions. It even told him he had half a tank left. “That is if you didn't puncture the tank on your daredevil ride down the hill.” He took a deep breath as he decided to try and start the engine.

Dexter turned the key. The dials moved, and the car made a rapid clicking noise. Dexter scrunched up his face he realized he heard the sound before. “Crap don't tell me I busted the starter. I'll be here for hours if that's the case.” He reached down and checked his phone. The display cast a bright light on his face and he squinted to see the screen. “Or I spend the next three hours walking to the nearest station cause there's no god damn signal out here.” The thirty minutes in the pouring rain was starting to seem like a dream compared to this. Dexter took a deep breath as he stifled a wave of anger. “It's okay, just get out and assess the damage. Who knows maybe its something simple. In that case, you could be on your way in five to ten minutes.” Dexter pulled the latch that would release the hood, opened the door, and stepped out.

As soon as Dexter stepped onto the ground every instinct told him something was wrong. The ground beneath him had let out a crunch of snow and the air around him froze his breath as he panted. His headlights still functioned and threw the pine forest in front of him into bright blinding light. Central Florida did not have entire forests of tall pines. Central Florida did NOT get freezing cold weather. Central Florida DID NOT get snow in any sense of the word, not even any of the Eskimo’s words for snow. Yet here he was, standing with his headlights facing a massive pine forest, his breath freezing on the wind, and snow an inch or two up his sneakers. “It’s okay,” He told himself, taking a not so calming breath. “It’s probably just a cold snap, those happen. Snowfall, however brief can theoretically happen in Florida. Yeah, that’s got to be it. Just calm down and assess the situation.”

Dexter took a deep breath, filling his lungs with cool air. He shivered. “I'm glad I wore my long sleeve shirt for this trip.” He said as he stepped back from the door, looking behind him as he rubbed his hands. His path down the hill was clearly marked by the snow, even his initial landing was clearly visible from where he stood. In the bright moonlight, he saw what seemed to be a snowstorm higher up “Moonlight?” He looked towards the sky, moon and stars lit clearly on this nearly cloudless night. There was the moon, full as could be, starkly contrasting the twinkling stars around it. Dexter squinted as he felt like something was off with them . . . and how many there were. “Thought that wasn't supposed to be for another few days.” Dexter suddenly shook his head and turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Dexter grabbed the keys from the ignition and the flashlight from underneath his seat. He began walking towards the hood of his car, hoping whatever had happened was a simple fix and not something that would require a tow truck; he'd still need to walk to the nearest town if that was the case. There was a puff of condensing water vapor as he lifted the hood. He pointed the flashlight at the engine, a V8 monstrosity of a motor stared back at him. His cousin’s old sleeper car wasn't terrible to look at, but it certainly did a good job of hiding what it was really capable of. It’s ‘04 hatchback body would have looked slow and out of place in an ‘80’s racing movie. But the reinforced chassis, 4-wheel drive, 8-cylinder motor, and beefed-up suspension meant cousin Reggie would only lose a race if he was baiting someone to risk their pink slip. “I never thought I'd say this but Thank you cousin Reggie. You're an asshole, but you sure know how to make a quality sleeper car.” The light of the flashlight danced across the motor as Dexter tried to find the part he was looking for.

His assessment of the engine was interrupted by a loud snap from behind. He turned quickly, aiming the flashlight towards the noise, expecting a curious deer, or possibly an angry coyote. Instead, he saw “A woman?” And it was a woman, stepping out from behind a tree. Her slim figure was dressed in renaissance era clothing; a full-length green and beige dress/tunic with some sort of floral pattern embroidered on the front. The bottom of her dress was stained slightly as if she’d run through a patch of mud. She wore two silver bracelets, one on each hand, with no visible latch. Yet, they were pressed so close to her skin it had reddened slightly. Her auburn hair was braided down the back, stopping just below her shoulder blades. Her thin face was littered with freckles and her deep brown eyes carried an expression of relief.

“Oh, thank god.” She said. “I don’t care where you came from, but you’ve got to help me.” Her accent was North American, with a slight southern drawl. “And I don’t care where you take me so long as it’s not in that direction.” She said, turning and pointing somewhere off to her left. She began walking towards Dexter.

“Hang on” Said Dexter, pointing the flashlight at her face. “I don’t know who you are, and I can’t be sure you haven’t escaped from some mental institution.” She stopped in her tracks, shielding her eyes from the source of light.

“Seriously?” She said “You’ve got to be six feet tall and weigh fifty pounds more than me. What’s a five and a half foot, a hundred and forty-pound girl going to do?”

Dexter’s eyebrows raised coldly. “I don’t care about the difference in height or weight,” Dexter replied. “A knife is a knife.”

She sighed and looked down at what she was wearing, turning in place as she spoke. “Where would I even hide a knife in this constricting death trap?” She asked. Dexter considered for a moment. The clothes did seem tight on her as if they’d been made for someone much smaller than her. Even the hem seemed to go up farther than it should.

Dexter directed the flashlight at the woman’s legs. “That skirt gives plenty of room for just about any weapon.” He remarked.

She looked down. “You want me to strip for you?” She asked, sounding insulted.

Dexter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, I want you to lift your skirt a bit so that I can make sure you’re not hiding a knife” He replied almost angrily. “You’d be surprised how far up people can store knives in things like those.”

She stared at him, shifting slightly from one foot to the other. “And why would I do that?” She asked.

Dexter scowled and let out a sigh, spitting a puff of frost into the air. “Because I’m not one to feel guilty about leaving someone stranded in backwoods Florida if they have a chance of killing me, no matter how freaky the weather is acting,” Dexter replied coldly. He’d already lost one cousin to a serial killer hitchhiker, he didn’t want to put his family through that pain again.

She shifted on her feet again. Pondering what she was about to do. She turned and gazed up at the moon, seemingly measuring something with her fingers. She finally turned back and glared at Dexter. “Fine, but when I get in that junker of a car you turn the heat as high up as it can go.” She said as she began grabbing at the hem of her dress. She lifted her skirt until it was halfway up her thighs. Her legs were pale, save for her bloody knees and red ankles. Her knees started shaking slightly, and her teeth were beginning to chatter.

Dexter took a minute to scan for any indication of a weapon, stopping as he noticed the bluish tint in her red ankles. He didn’t see a knife, but he did recognize the early symptoms of frostbite. “Oh, yea, get in quickly, though it may be a while before you get heat. The car won’t start.” Dexter said as he motioned towards the passenger side door with the flashlight.

The woman dropped her dress despairingly and started stepping towards the front of the car. “Why what’s wrong with it?” She asked

“From the sound of it, something’s wrong with the starter,” Dexter said calmly as he redirected the flashlight at the engine. “I was just getting to that when you showed up. If it’s simple, we’ll be out of here in a few minutes. If not I’m going to have to walk back to the road and the nearest town to call a tow truck. That’ll take a few hours at the quickest.”

“No no no no, if that’s the case then we’re both in trouble.” She replied, seemingly panicked, as she finally reached the hood of the car. “Let me have a look,” she said as she gazed into the engine. She saw the engine packed snugly into the engine bay and gasped. Her eyes went wide as she saw the mechanical monster. “Woah, I’ve never seen an engine like that in a car this crappy.”

Dexter grinned as he shone his light around the engine. “That’s the point,” He replied smugly. “Ugly and slow on the outside, but faster than a stock car on the road.” Dexter moved the flashlight towards a familiar cylindrical device, wires extending out from various bolts. “And it looks like you’re in luck, the solenoid is missing a wire. Which means…” Dexter directed the light down. “There we go.” Dexter grabbed the loose wire and pushed it back under one of the bolts, turning the nut until it held the bit snugly. “Go ahead and hop in.” He said as he closed the hood of the car. “I’ve still got to check my tires and underneath the car to make sure nothing is leaking”

Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced behind her. “Okay, but please be quick.” She said as she looked up at the moon again. “It’s just a few hours till dawn, and I can’t risk any of them waking up early and coming after me.” She quickly moved towards the passenger side door.

Dexter’s instinct immediately started ringing the alarm. “Wait, what?” asked Dexter. “Who would be coming after you?”

The woman waved the question off as she walked. “It’s a long story, better told when we’re as far away from here as possible.” She replied.

Dexter felt on high alert as he glanced around. Nothing appeared to be an immediate threat. He finally threw his hands up in exasperation. “Fine,” said Dexter, moving towards the driver's side door. “There’s a jacket in the back seat if you need to warm up. It should be on the head of the office chair.” She looked at him with a confused expression. “You’ll see what I mean when you look back there.” He said as he started his walk around the car. He kicked each tire lightly as he walked. Making sure none of the tires has suffered a puncture. They all held firm to his blow. He also couldn’t detect any telltale hiss. He finished checking the last tire, then laid face down in the snow, shining his flashlight underneath the car. “Nothing seems to be leaking,” Dexter remarked as he swept his flashlight back and forth. “Thank you, cousin Reggie.” Dexter finally stood, brushing the snow off of his jeans. He noticed the woman in the car was biting her nails and staring intently at something behind him. Dexter quickly turned but saw nothing but trees. He then breathed a sigh of relief turned back. The woman had not taken her eyes off the trees behind him. They appeared to scan back and forth for movement. Dexter let out another sigh as he began walking towards the driver's side door, rubbing his hands as he went.

When Dexter finally reached the driver’s seat, he pressed his palm to each of his knuckles, causing loud pops to emanate in the confined space. He sighed as he looked around his car and closed the door. The AC was turned on full blast, pouring oven-like air into the car as the chill outsider fought desperately to get in. His belongings in the back were jostled, but otherwise still in their proper places. The head of a faux-leather office chair could be seen sticking out from beneath one of the boxes. The woman was wearing his jacket, a fluffy camo colored jacket that was best suited for the mild chill that occasionally visited South Florida. She was still biting her nails as he decided to break the audible silence. “I think we got off on the wrong foot here.” He said calmly, trying to convince himself to relax. He extended his hand. “My name's Dexter.” She turned from her nervous scanning and looked at his hand. After a moment reached over and gripped his digits.

“Amelia.” She said, shaking his hand. “Now let's get out of here. One of the scouts might have heard your tumble down the mountain.” She sounded impatient.

Dexter let out a nervous sigh as he glanced out the windows. He didn’t completely trust her, but she didn’t sound crazy either. “Yea, I’m going to need you to fill me in on this whole situation you think you’ve got yourself in.” Replied Dexter.

The woman huffed as she sat back and crossed her arms. “I’m not crazy.” Amelia scoffed. “Try spending the last month as some elf’s plaything and see how eager you are to stick around.”

Dexter bit the inside of his mouth as he held back a retort. “Like I said.” Dexter countered as he turned the ignition. The car roared to life, starter now functioning properly, and he turned on the four-wheel drive. He turned the wheel to the right as he shifted into first gear. “You’ll need to fill me in.”

Amelia’s eyes widened as the car’s wheel spun slightly before catching and pushing them to the right. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Shouted Amelia. “That’s where they’re camped out. You need to turn this car around and go back that way.” She said as she pointed behind the car.

Dexter scrunched up his face slightly as he gave his mental map a quick check. “I’m taking the shortest route out of here.” Replied Dexter as he directed the car forward. “Best I can tell there’s a gentler slope a bit west of here. There, this car will definitely make the climb out of wherever I’ve fallen down. Plus, it’s closer to the nearest town. From there, it’s back on the road and off to a hospital for you and to a hotel for me.”

Amelia let out an exasperated sigh. “You still don’t get it. We’re not where you think we are. This isn’t Earth.”

Dexter’s annoyance reached a boiling point when he heard that. One thing was for certain, Earth was his current location. “Oh, I know exactly where we are.” Snapped Dexter. “We’re in the backwoods of Central Florida.” He was getting increasingly convinced that Amelia had escaped from some weird medieval cult. “And we’re heading west to get out of this trench, back on the road, and back to town.” He turned to the woman to berate her as he came upon a clear stretch of forest, likely a dirt road that had recently grown over.

“LOOK OUT.” Amelia suddenly shouted, pointing in front of them. Dexter turned back in shock. In the half-second he had moved his eyes off the road, a figure had abruptly run out in front of the car, seemingly intent on stopping it. Dexter slammed on the brakes, tires skidding slightly on the compacting snow. The car crawled to a stop about twenty feet in front of the man. The man seemed to be shouting something, but neither could hear it over the roaring Air Conditioner, which was set to maximum.

Dexter scowled as his mind concocted a potential scenario for the events unfolding in front of him. “The fuck is he doing?” Dexter turned to Amelia as a potential scenario involved the damsel sitting next to him. “Is he one of yours?” He asked.

Her eyes were wide with fear and her knuckles desperately gripped the armrest beside her. “Drive!” Amelia said, still pointing in panic.

Dexter’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The scenario discarded itself as he saw how panicked the woman was. “Wah?” Dexter asked turning back towards the man. The man now had a bow and was notching an arrow.

The woman slammed a hand on Dexter’s arm and squeezed, causing his eyes to widen in shock. “DRIVE!” Shouted Amelia. Dexter didn’t need to be told again. He shifted the car into reverse and slammed on the gas, turning the wheel to the left and kicking up a small cloud of snow in front of them. The man was about forty feet to their left when a loud kssh made a gash on their hood. Dexter quickly shifted into first gear and began turning to the right, going back the way they’d already driven.

Dexter felt his grip tighten on the wheel and he swallowed the panicked lump in his throat. “East it is then,” Dexter said as he tried to put as much space between the man and them as possible. The uneven ground rocked the car slightly as they drove. Amelia turned in her seat was gazing behind them, looking for signs of someone following them. “I think it’s time for you to start filling me in on your predicament here,” Dexter said firmly. The one thing that was going to comfort him now was information and he doubted he would get it if he didn’t ask.

Amelia waved off his demands as she continued to stare. “I’ll tell you when we’re safe,” Amelia said dismissively.

Dexter let out an annoyed sigh as he glanced at the rear-view mirror. He saw only the trees on either side of them and the cloud of snow they were making as he drove. “Then summarize.” He barked. “I at least want to know who’s chasing us.”

Amelia seemed to consider for a moment, then turned to him. “You’re going to want the full context. I was in upstate Ohio when something just…. took me and placed me in the hands of some misogynistic bureaucratic elf. That’s the person that’s after us.” Amelia said quickly. Dexter looked at her with a confused expression. “And like I said before. I've spent the last month as his...” Amelia shuddered. “plaything.” She said with disgust.

Dexter sighed as the theory of insanity made itself known again. “Well, when we get to a police station we’ll make sure they put out an APB for that creep.” Said Dexter, turning his attention back to driving. “Are you good at describing faces?” He asked. “I can’t stand it when people get away with stuff like that.”

Amelia dropped her head into her hands, shaking it slightly. “You don’t understand,” Amelia said firmly. “We are not on Earth. This is not the United States. You did not crash in backwoods Florida. I don’t know where we are exactly but I sure as Hell know that this isn’t Earth.” Amelia inhaled. She’d neglected to pause for breath, hoping Dexter would begin to take her more seriously.

Quite the opposite had happened through. Dexter immediately concluded that she had been misinformed and was just going off bad information. “Let me guess. You learned all of this by studying a map that they had?” Dexter asked, jabbing his thumb behind him. “If so, then it’s more likely that you were kidnapped by some high-class cult leader whose recruits probably believe they were transported to another planet as ‘chosen’ to repopulate the human race.”

Amelia stared at Dexter as she heard the scenario he was describing and began laughing. “Oh ho ho. That theory would go out the window if you saw the people that live around here. No mista…” She stopped as she looked behind them. “Drive Faster!” She suddenly shouted.

Dexter was immediately on alert again. “What?” Dexter asked. He glanced in the rearview mirror; his blood ran cold. About fifty feet behind them were two massive creatures. They looked like the largest horses you could think of, jet black and eight feet tall, with their mouths stretched back farther than Dexter thought possible. They were covered in metallic armor. One of them looked to be plated in gold. The other looked to be plated in silver. On top of the creatures were matching armored riders who looked ridiculously small straddling atop them. Dexter’s subconscious decided it would have looked comical if the riders weren’t drawing bows and aiming at them. A loud thwp could be heard over the AC and a shadow came barreling in their direction. A small thnk sound came from the back of the sedan, shortly followed by another.

Amelia slapped the back of Dexter’s seat. “Can’t this thing go any faster?” Amelia asked angrily.

Dexter’s head was going into overdrive. He tried his best to visualize a path away from the riders without destroying their means of escape. “Not by much on this terrain,” Dexter replied. “I’m lucky that I’m even able to drive in the snow. Let alone on this bumpy ground.” He suddenly began swerving, trying to avoid the arrows. The sound of thundering hooves could be heard as the animals drew closer. The riders were beginning to pull the creatures alongside them. The thnk sounds slowly got closer to the front. By some godly miracle, the arrows couldn’t penetrate his glass windows, but they were succeeding in piercing the aluminum exterior of the car. Dexter glanced at the golden rider thundering alongside him. Through the medieval visor, he could barely glimpse the rider’s eyes, burning with unnatural hate that gave Dexter a sinking feeling. Dexter shifted in his seat to try and minimize the chances that one of the arrows got lucky and struck his leg. Suddenly, Dexter made a hard left, barely missing the golden-clad creature and causing it to rear up slightly. He started leading them in a wide circle, he at least wanted to see when they were firing at him.

Dexter kept glancing at the impossible animals as he tried to rationalize their size. “What even are those things?” Dexter asked.

Amelia’s eyes were wide as she stared at the riders. “They’re his warhorses,” Amelia replied. “Oralie and Rajat, with their riders Jander and Elion” She was grabbing her door and staring intently at the massive creatures thirty feet to their left. She let out a shaky breath as her figure began to tremble. “He likes to boast about the fact that they can travel forty miles in just an hour.”

Dexter visualized the scenario again as he tried to find a way to outpace them. Nothing came to mind. “Then we’re not going to outrun them on this terrain,” Dexter said loudly. He paused for a second as he seemed to think. “I have an idea. Hang on.” He suddenly turned to the left and began driving directly at the horses, rapidly decreasing the size of the circle they were drawing. He closed the gap between them swiftly and they whizzed past their rears. The riders immediately began trying to stop or at least slow them as their firing ability became practically nill. Once Dexter thought they were a safe distance he turned the car around until they were again facing the receding horses and stopped. He stared ahead as he growled a command. “Open the glove compartment and hand me the headphones and the red button that’s in there.” Amelia hesitated for a second then nodded and opened the compartment. A pair of headphones and a black switch were sitting on top of a mess of napkins and documents. The switch had a bright red button on top of it. She quickly grabbed them and pulled them out. Wires were coming out from the bottom of the switch and lead further into the car.

She handed the two items to Dexter who took them as he stared at the horse. They had finally stopped and been turned around about fifty yards away from them, riders wresting reigned to turn them around. Dexter donned the headphones and said, in a slightly raised voice. “There should be a bag of earplugs in there too. Put a pair on and cover your ears, it's about to get very loud.” He turned a dial on the side of the switch that Amelia hadn’t noticed before, causing the switch to make a soft click. The horses began charging at them again, the riders drawing curved swords and preparing to swing. They had evidently decided for a more direct approach. Dexter let out a breath as he used his free hand to grip the shift. He gritted his teeth as he shifted back into first and slammed on the gas. The wheel kicked up another cloud of snow as they began barrelling towards the charging monstrosities. Dexter’s thumb hovered an inch from the bright red button.

Amelia’s eyes widened and her knuckles were a pale white as she gripped the armrest. “D-Dexter?” Amelia asked hesitantly. Dexter ignored her and kept charging, engine roaring in front of them. Amelia quickly started rummaging in the glove compartment and found the bag. She pulled a pair out stuffed a plug into each ear. She then clamping her hands on top and braced for an impact. Time seemed to slow as the horses and car charged at each other, kicking up clouds of snow behind them. They were now twenty yards apart, then fifteen, then ten. Twenty feet before impact Dexter finally pushed the button. The front of the car started to vibrate, Amelia expected then to shoot forward as NOS was pumped into the engine, but that didn’t happen. Instead, a noise, unlike any Amelia had heard before, came screaming from the front of the car, causing her entire body and the car around her to vibrate with its intensity. Dexter gritted his teeth and kept his thumb pressed on the button as they went screaming at the charging horses. Both riders let go of their weapons and clamped their hands over their helmeted heads. The horses suddenly let out a pained whinny and veered sharply away from the painful noise. The horses turned; their riders did not. Instead, the one riding the silver horse flew from his saddle and landed on his back in the snow, most likely winded. The one riding the gold-plated horse got his boot stuck in the stirrup as he was flung from his seat and ended up staying attached to his steed, though in a very vulnerable position. He was now trying desperately to keep from being kicked in the face by the horse’s hoof as he was dragged alongside the fleeing equine.

Dexter whooped as the noise finally died, and he released the button from under his thumb. “THANK YOU COUSIN REGGIE!” He shouted enthusiastically, kissing the switch in his hand. Amelia continued to tremble slightly in her seat, hands still clamped over her ears, as she took in what had just happened. Dexter began laughing as he glanced in the rear-view mirror. “They’ll be spending the next hour or so trying to get those horses calmed down and back to carrying their riders. By then we’ll be long gone and reporting the cult’s location to the local authorities.” Dexter laughed again as he tossed the headphones and switch back into the glove compartment. Amelia sighed as she pulled the plugs from her ears. After a minute she shakily placed them back in the bag and put the bag back into the glove compartment.

She slowly closed it with a click as she finally took stock of what had occurred. “I’ve gotta say," she finally chuckled. "I’m impressed with your… solution… but what in God’s name was that?” Amelia asked, turning towards Dexter as she spoke.

Dexter smiled wide as he directed the car farther east, approaching a gentler plain. “That, my dear friend, was the ‘eleven horn’. A little addition to this unassuming sleeper car.” Dexter explained as he turned to Amelia “When Reggie found out this existed, he reconstructed his entire air-horn set-up just to have it in his car. He’s added it into every one of his personal cars since. It’s capable of belting out a hundred and fifty decibels of pure sound. Startling and painful if you don’t expect it, hence the earbuds and earphones.” Dexter was still smiling as he turned back to driving. They finally reached a smoother plain, mostly absent of snow, where he could safely shift into second gear without having to worry about unexpected debris puncturing his tires.

Amelia let out an amused sigh as she stared ahead blankly. Her face briefly curved into a smile before falling as she remembered their current state. “Well I’m sorry I’m about to rain on your parade, but this is not earth.” She said, putting emphasis on each word. Dexter immediately stopped smiling. “If you haven’t noticed those were elves. They weren’t human, they were elves.”

Dexter scoffed, annoyed at the damper on this victory. “I saw two short people riding two very big horses.” Retorted Dexter “Two big horses that seem to have bits set too far into their mouths. We can add animal cruelty to their list of charges when we get out of here.” Amelia sighed and crossed her arms, resigned to being unable to convince Dexter without tangible proof of their predicament. They drove in silence for a bit as the gently rocking car carried them away from the downed riders.

Amelia glanced at the silent radio and suddenly had an idea. “Fine, since we’re on earth can we put some music on? The ‘cult’ didn’t have a radio in their possession.” Amelia said, using air quotes.

Dexter glanced at the stereo system, then at Amelia. A connection was made as he saw her stifled smug expression. “Okay, let’s see what’s on.” Dexter said optimistically. He turned the radio on and pressed the seek button, then turned to Amelia. “But you should know something. Even if the stereo finds no station, which is likely out here, there are half a dozen reasons that might be. None of which are me being taken to some alien world where elves exist.” He turned back to the stereo. It cycled through all the FM waves once, then twice. He furrowed his brow as he realized something would always stop it somewhere along the way, even if it was just static. On the third go-around, he switched to the AM waves. Again, it looped once, then twice. Dexter sat back as nothing tripped the radio to stop seeking. Finally, Dexter turned the radio off and turned back to Amelia. She was smiling. “It doesn’t prove you right.” He scoffed. “It just means I need to take a look at the damage when I get the chance.”

Amelia sighed but still held a slightly smug expression. “Fine, but do you have any music we can listen to. What passes for music around here is nice, but it can’t beat the modern music Earth has.” Amelia said.

Dexter glanced over at her as he considered her predicament. Nothing indicated malice or ill intent, just someone that just escaped captivity. He was honestly surprised she was so optimistic. After a second, he nodded. “Sure. What genre do you want to listen to?” Dexter asked as he opened the center compartment, lifting the lid back to allow Amelia to look. Inside, dozens of coins and a dozen pens rattled around. On the underside of the lid, an envelope of papers was tucked into a holder. Instead of reaching for any of these things Dexter reached for a latch on the side of the bin then lifted the bin out of the compartment, placing it in the back. Amelia leaned over to look inside this hidden compartment. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw an array of USB cables sticking out from the bed and a series of label-maker labels stuck next to them. The labels ranged from POP to ROCK to COUNTRY and even JAZZ. On the front of the compartment, there was a USB slot and a small array of buttons and lights. Above them, a small LED screen, no bigger than a smartphone, displayed a loading symbol. Amelia looked at Dexter in confusion. He was smiling smugly.

Amelia looked down at the compartment again in amazement. “What is all of this?” Amelia asked, lifting one of the wires from the tangle.

Dexter glanced down at the compartment as he explained. “That is the only part of the entire car that was built by me.” Replied Dexter, moving some wires out of the way to glance at the labels. “Cousin Reggie knew I was good at designing sound systems. So, he asked me to make one that looked unassuming but could produce the clearest sound imaginable.” Dexter pointed at the interior of the doors as he spoke. Amelia glanced over and saw that the door looked just as nice as the engine the hood hid. “When he sold the car to me, I made an additional modification to include these.” Dexter continued as pulled a latch on the side and lifted one of the labeled devices out of the compartment. It was an external hard drive with a thick metal frame around it, allowing it to be slotted into place with ease. “It’s about five hundred gigabytes of data each. I filled about half of it with their respective genre of music.” Dexter stopped himself as he saw Amelia’s eyes widened. “Granted most of them are remixes and various reinterpretations of the same songs but I’ve still got the originals on here. I’ve even got more hard drives in the back.” He said as he gestured with the device. Dexter slid the device back into the vacant slot and turned to Amelia “So. I’ll ask again. What genre do you want to listen to?” Amelia smiled as she considered her options.

“Surprise me.” She finally replied.

Half an hour later they were cruising along comfortably at twenty miles an hour. The ground had smoothed out as they headed east and Dexter switched into second gear, commenting it taking forever to find the road he had fallen from. Amelia was drinking a bottle of water and singing along to the songs as they shuffled around the list of pop music Dexter had. They were currently enjoying a stark silence as an old Smash Mouth song played in the background. “I’ve been meaning to ask this, and I know it’s kind of rude.” Amelia suddenly said, turning to Dexter. Dexter looked at her. “But is one of your eyes made of glass?” Amelia finally asked after a pause. Dexter looked into the rearview mirror, confused at the question. A pair of eyes stared back at him, his eyes. The one on his left was a bright blue, the one on the right a deep hazel. His brown comb-over hair ever so lightly touched the top of his ears. He needed a haircut. His face was wide yet thin giving it a clean-cut modern Viking esque look. That look combined, with his glasses, pale skin, and massive frame made him look like the world’s strongest geek.

Dexter smirked at the question as he realized where the query came from. “No these are my eyes,” Dexter replied, turning back to driving. Amelia’s eyes widened. “I know, not every day you meet someone with Heterochromia,” Dexter said.

Amelia smiled as she took another drink. “I mean, I just ask because I had a grandmother with a glass eye,” Amelia explained. “The glass one didn’t match her real one. The fact that it moved with her real eye made it hard to distinguish which was which sometimes. I once spent an entire family reunion sitting on her blind side. She had dementia, so she was kind of losing her memory. She eventually asked me if she could have a soda. When I told her she didn’t need my permission, she turned in her chair and stared at me with those mismatched eyes. She said I sounded just like her mother and had forgotten where she was for a moment.” Amelia was starting to tear up from the memory. “That was the last time I got to talk to her...before.... all of this happened.” She said gesturing around her. “It’s just… I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see my family again.” She was starting to choke up.

Dexter’s face fell as he realized what she had gone through. “Hey, listen” Dexter stopped her. “Your family is going to be very happy when they find out that you’re alive. Right now, their imagination is running wild with what’s happened to you, but they’ll be relieved to know you’re alive and that their worst nightmares haven’t come true. Cause the worst thing that can happen to a family is never knowing what happened to the ones they love.”

Amelia smiled and sniffed. “You’re sweet.” She said, wiping her tears away. “I just hope that you're right about my family getting to reach that closure.” The stereo system shuffled to a new upbeat tune. Amelia’s face lit up as she heard the song. “Oh, I love this song.” She began singing along, dancing in her seat. “The taste of her cherry chapsti-” Suddenly Amelia jumped and dropped the bottle. She clutched both her hands to her chest, screaming.

Dexter swerved, startled by the sudden auditory intrusion. “WOAH! What’s Happening!? Why Are You Screaming!?” Dexter asked in a raised voice, he turned off the stereo system. Amelia continued to scream, seemingly in pain. She began to claw at her bracelets desperately. Dexter put a hand on her shoulder, directing her attention at him. “I Can’t Help You If Don’t Tell Me Why You’re Screaming!!” Dexter said calmly but firmly. Amelia held out one of her hands, jabbing a finger at the silver bracelet. “The bracelet?” Dexter asked, reaching for it. As soon as he touched the bracelet his entire arm exploded in fiery pain and he instinctively let go. Amelia was starting to cry again, trying desperately to rip the bracelet off. “Okay, calm down, that feels like a shock collar . . in bracelet form. All we need to do it get over the transmitting border and far away and it should stop.” Dexter started to accelerate, thirty miles per hour, then forty, then forty-five. The car rocked back and forth as they flew over the terrain. They drove like that for five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Amelia was starting to grunt in desperation. The bracelet wouldn’t stop. “What the Fuck? Why isn’t it stopping?” A new design for a shock collar system flashed through Dexter’s head. “Fuck, it must be a continuous transmission-based sensor. Without it, that triggers. We must have just left their transmission range. We’ll need to remove it, disable it, or let the battery drain.”

Amelia looked up at him, tears streaming out of her infuriated eyes. “I’M NOT GONNA JUST SIT HERE WHILE SOME REMOTE POMPOUS ELF MAKES MY LIFE A LIVING AGONY!!!” Amelia shouted, grabbing at Dexter’s collar.

Dexter nodded as he shifted the car into a lower gear. “Removal it is then,” Dexter said as he brought the car to a stop. He gestured to the back as unlocked his seat belt. “Hop out and meet me by the hatch,” Dexter instructed. Amelia opened her door and began stumbling towards the back. Dexter did the same. It was still cold out. A few arrows were still sticking from the side of the car. Dexter opened the hatch, being careful of the arrows still protruding from the metal. Within held a large pile of boxes, clothes, and furniture that Dexter was taking with him to college. He began moving the bags and boxes that hid what he was looking for. He finally heaved and pulled out his bucket of tools. He quickly grabbed the pair of metal cutters hanging on the side. He suddenly grabbed Amelia’s arm and carefully slid the cutters between her wrist and the bracelet. He was going to try and cut the metal. He let out a relaxing breath then squeezed as hard as he could. Amelia was grunting in pain.

Dexter received snippets of pain as he tried to grip harder; even that was difficult to withstand. “SHIT! What's this thing made of?” Dexter asked as he reached for a hammer. Dexter guided Amelia so that he could bring the hammer down on the handles without hitting her hand. He took a moment to line up his shot before starting to swing. tap tap BAM tap tap BAM tap tap BAM He swung once, twice, three times. The handles were moving. He pulled the cutters away, trying to see his progress. The bracelet didn’t have so much as a scratch. Dexter looked down and examined his cutter. There was a defined dent in them where it had gripped the bracelet. His blood ran cold as he realized what the dent meant. “Okay, bad news. I don't have the tools to remove it,” Dexter admitted. Amelia looked up in desperation. Dexter rummaged in the tool bucket for a minute as he continued. “but I can still try to disable it. Head to the driver side door and start stuffing that jacket between you and the bracelets” He said as he pulled out a screwdriver and handed it to her. “I need to grab something.” Amelia staggered off, stuffing her sleeves under her bracelets.

Dexter started moving boxes in the rear of the car. He finally lifted the office chair so he could grab the jumper cables that he recalled were underneath it. He then began heading to the driver's side door. Amelia was standing next to it, groaning as she finished positioning her jacket. Dexter opened the door of the car and pulled the switch that would pop the hood. He checked to make sure the engine was still running. Then began explaining his plan. Talking always helped him solidify his reasoning. “Shock collars are on a high current low voltage system to apply the right amount of pain.” He lifted the hood all the way and began connecting the ends to the cables to his battery. He was careful to keep the other ends away from each other. “If I apply a high enough voltage it should overload the circuit and disable the system.” He waved Amelia over and had her hold out her hands. “The jacket is for insulation, but it definitely won’t be enough to stop the current entirely. This might be very painful.” Dexter looked up at Amelia as he lowered the ends of the cable in close. “Ready?” Amelia placed the handle of the screwdriver sideways in her mouth and nodded.

Dexter let out a breath to calm his nerves as he looked down again. He brought the ends of the jumper cable into contact with the bracelet. Dexter saw the muscles in Amelia’s arm suddenly contract. Amelia let out a sobbing cry as a small hisssss escaped the bracelet. There was a pause... then a pop caused the bracelet to fall away and Amelia to let out a sigh of relief as she fell to her knees. Dexter took a second to register this development before kneeling and bringing his attention to the other bracelet. The other bracelet was likely still going off. “One more time?” Dexter asked comfortingly as he positioned the cables for the other bracelet. He glanced up at Amelia again, silently asking permission. She let out a teary nod as she lifted her trembling arm. She was definitely still in pain. Dexter let out another nervous sigh as he brought his attention to the still active bracelet. Again, the bracelet hissed as he made contact and then popped open, leaving Amelia with two bright red marks on her wrists.

She let out a shuddering groan and brought her hands to her chest, the screwdriver dropping from her lips. “Fuck, that hurt.” Amelia finally sighed.

Dexter let out a relieved sigh as he stood and removed the jumper cables from the battery. The engine still hummed was as he draped the cables onto the car. “I'm just glad that got the bracelets off,” Dexter remarked. He crouched down and examined the bracelets on the ground. They glinted slightly in the pale moonlight. He reached out and touched them gingerly. They didn't hurt him. “They're inactive now,” Dexter remarked curiously as he picked the bracelets up to scrutinize them. The pattern engraved on them was full of loops and swirls, mimicking a long thin vine across the outside. The inside was smooth and polished, a hinge now visible on the opposite side of the bracelet. Dexter examined where the bracelet had split. “I must have melted the lock, or at least whatever system locks this thing.” He glanced over at Amelia, she was hunched over, on her knees, with her hands still pressed close to her chest.

She trembled as she spoke in barely a whisper. “I thought I finally got away from him,” Amelia said weakly. “I spent an entire month planning how to get away from him. I finally did and…” Amelia sniffed. “I thought I was done being hurt by him.”

Dexter moved over and crouched beside her. He gently placed his hand on her back. “Listen,” Dexter said softly “I can’t do anything about what happened in the past, but I can make sure he can't hurt you or anyone else ever again. I can also guarantee that there are others out there that care about you and will support you no matter how dark the world seems right now.”

Amelia seemed to consider what he said for a moment. Then straightened, wiping her face with her sleeve. “Thank you,” Amelia muttered softly. Dexter’s face fell, he didn’t entirely expect those words. “If it weren’t for you, I’d probably…. definitely be recaptured and subject to, god knows what, from him.”

Dexter smiled as he considered her words. “To be fair, I would likely be in the same situation if you didn’t find me.” Dexter countered, sitting down beside Amelia. “My first reaction to seeing that sentry…. or whatever he was…. would have been “What are you doing in the middle of the woods, good sir?”’ Dexter said in a mocking British voice. Amelia smiled gently. Dexter let out a sigh as he looked around, the mood thoroughly lightened. “Anyway,” Dexter said as he glanced at his watch. “I say we keep driving for another twenty minutes. If we find a road we head to the nearest town and get some sleep. If not, we sleep in the car for the night. Sound like a plan?”

Amelia considered for a minute then nodded. “Let’s put a few more miles between us and him.” She stood up, brushed herself off, then hopped back into the car. Dexter did the same after packing the tools away and tossing the bracelets into the bucket, snapping off the arrow shafts still sticking from his car as he went.

He finally reached his seat and turned to Amelia. “Ready to rejoin the world?” Dexter asked confidently.

Amelia smirked. “Ready when you are hotshot,” Amelia replied smugly. Dexter smiled as he shifted the car into first gear and sped off, his headlights cutting through the darkened fields before him and the beams of moonlight from above.