Joel emerged from the car, and walked up to us, his voice soft now, almost steady. "Relax, Ducce. We've got you. We aren't letting you take this alone."
Vanz nodded, placing a reassuring hand on my back. "We've been through thick and thin. All of us. So… we will get through this too?"
Joel gave a warm smile "yep will figure it out, but what about that car.. you got any idea, Vanz? Ducce?"
I swallowed hard, fear still tight in my throat. "I… I don't know. I… maybe… push the car off the cliff? Before James comes, so he doesn't get dragged into this?"
Vanz's eyes flickered, tension evident. "It might work… but what if we're caught?"
Joel hesitated, voice uncertain. "Yeah… maybe… maybe it's the only choice."
I exhaled, feeling the crushing weight of the night settle deeper. "I am sorry guys… it's my fault I should have driven slower and not drink that much, (I took a deep breath) I just hope for the best…. i didn't mean to do this to them"
Vanz's hand stayed on my shoulder. "It's done, Ducce. We can't change it. We deal with what's in front of us."
Joel took a step closer, nodding. "We'll figure it out. Let's call James first. He can tow my car. Then we'll deal with… the rest."
Joel dialed James, his voice hurried but controlled. "James? You there?"
On the other end, James sounded groggy and suspicious. "Yeah, what's up?"
"Something happened, man. Something crazy. I'll explain later. Just… come to the Akkin intersection. Bring the towline. Please, it's an emergency."
"Joel, it's ten at night. What the hell is going on?"
"I know, I know. I'm sorry. But we need you. Please."
James hesitated, then sighed. "Alright… I think I know what this is. I'm coming. With the towline." The line went dead.
When Joel slid the phone back into his pocket, Vanz muttered, "Thank God, we got James."
"For real," Joel agreed. "If it weren't for him, we'd have no chance of getting out of this."
I leaned against the car, shaking my head slowly. "At least one problem's handled. But what now?" My eyes drifted back to the wreck.
Joel's voice hardened. "We can't let James get dragged into this. We push it. Off the cliff. Now."
Vanz looked at Ducce. "Yeah… let's do it. Ducce?"
My face twisted with guilt, my voice trembling. "Ohhhh….ohhh…. (Breathing heavily) okay.….wait… wait "I lowered my head. "Let's send them off with a prayer."
The three of us stood together in the cold night, whispering prayers no one would ever hear, then braced ourselves against the mangled SUV. It teetered already on the edge, its weight shifting dangerously. With a strained push, gravity did the rest. The car tipped, then slid violently over the cliff. Metal screeched as it smashed against rocks, crashing louder and louder, bang, bang, bang, until the sound faded into the dark forest below.
I stumbled backward, collapsing onto the dirt. I gasped for air, clutching my chest, guilt spreading like poison through my veins. My eyes darted toward the cliff, then up at the empty sky. "Shit… shit… If we get caught, it's over. It's over for all of us."
Vanzz scanned the area nervously. "Nobody saw us. I think… I think we'll be fine."
Joel forced a grin, his voice hollow. "Yeah… we'll be alright."
But the silence after was unbearable. The headlights cast long shadows into the trees, our only source of light in the pitch-black wilderness. Vanzz and Joel stood motionless, staring into the dark abyss below. I stayed on the ground, eyes fixed on the heavens, wishing the stars could erase what we had just done. My body was heavy, my mind broken.
Then came the distant hum of an engine. A truck pulled up, headlights cutting through the night. The ground shook slightly as it drew closer. James climbed out, his boots thudding against the dirt. He froze the moment he saw the scene.
"What the hell is this?" he demanded, his eyes darting from the bloodstains to their faces. "Jesus Christ, what did you guys do?"
Vanzz raised his hands in a calming gesture. "James, relax. We'll explain later. Just… try to understand. We're all tired."
James took a step forward, panic and anger flashing in his eyes. "No. Tell me right now. Should I call the cops? Is someone dead?"
"Listen," Vanzz said firmly, his voice low. "Just help us tow the car first."
James clenched his jaw, clearly furious, but something in our faces stopped him from pressing further. With a muttered curse, he complied.
We towed Joel's car in silence, heading toward an abandoned lodge where no one lived. Inside, the air was stale, dust clinging to the old furniture. James brought food, thinking we needed strength, but the plates went untouched. I shoved it aside, appetite crushed under guilt. The group sat in tense silence, the incident weighing on us heavier than any chain.
At last, Vanzz broke the awkward silence. He remembered the container, retrieved it, and set it on the table. The dim light flickered against its strange surface, pulling all their tired eyes toward it.
James frowned, confusion mixing with suspicion. "What the hell is that? Where did you get it?"
Vanzz hesitated. "When we crashed… it fell from their window."
Me and Joel stayed quiet, still drowning in guilt, their silence saying more than words could.
James's voice rose, sharp. "That doesn't make sense. Why would they just drive off? And what about the blood? That wasn't nothing. That looked really bad."
Vanzz rubbed his face, exasperated. "I don't know, man. It all happened so fast. They hit us, blood was leaking from their SUV, then they drove off. We couldn't even process it."
We felt the silence in the air. The container sat between us, cold, gleaming, and out of place. After everything we'd done, it was one more thing we didn't understand.
James's voice cracked with suspicion, his arms folded across his chest as he studied them. "This sounds like bullshit. None of this makes sense. Are you hiding something from me?"
The words cut through the silence like a blade. Ducce's stomach churned; he knew James wasn't wrong.
Vanz leaned forward, waving his hand dismissively. "Forget it, man. We'll figure it out later… Let's just try to open this container first."
James muttered under his breath, frustrated, his face tight with anger. "Ahhh, whatever…this must be a really bad dream"
The four of us gathered around the strange object. Its surface was smooth, metallic yet alien, without markings or seams. Under the dim light, it seemed to swallow shadows, reflecting nothing back. We tried everything, slamming a rock against it, scraping it against concrete, searching desperately for a latch or a crack. Nothing. The container refused to yield, as though it wasn't meant to exist in this world.
I was drained and dizzy, and felt a sudden warmth at the edge of my nostril. I wiped my face and saw my fingertips smeared red. A drop of blood slid off and landed squarely on the container's surface.
The reaction was instant.
A blinding flash erupted, forcing us to shield our eyes. I gasped, frozen as streams of encrypted symbols, glowing, twisting fragments of light, spilled from the container, floating upward like living code. The characters spiraled through the air, then shot
straight into our heads. We felt a sharp pain in our head, then nothing.
Darkness swallowed us.