Suddenly, a loud noise comes from off to the left. Looking up, you see a black car turn around the bend and start heading down the road you're sitting on. Well, might as well give it a try, right? You jump up and start waving your arms frantically. "Hey! HEY!" you yell. The woman driving the car looks at you, instantly snaps back to the road, and visibly speeds up as she passes you. Shaking your head, you sit back down on the curb.
You look back at the fence, where growls and ripping can be heard. That mangy dog is ripping your shoe to shreds. You sigh and hang your head in your hands. You can't walk home with one shoe. And who stops to pick up hitchhikers anymore? No one, that's who. So you continue to sit on the curb under the bright midday sunlight, trying and failing to flag down cars. You've been there for two hours and are about to just walk home when you have success. You feel exhausted.
A huge red Hummer comes rumbling down the road, a huge cloud of exhaust billowing out of the back of it. You jump up and, weary from your hours of calling, barely raise your arms before your legs give out from under you and you land on your back, hard. You look up at the cloudless blue sky and hear the Hummer screech to a halt. The door opens and slams and you hear footsteps approaching.
A man appears in your swimming vision. He's about twenty-five, with short blonde hair, tattoo sleeves, and jeans. "Are you alright, sir?" he asks, his voice sounding mushy and distorted in your exhausted state. "You don't look so good... would you like a ride home?" he asks. "Yes... please..." you manage to pant out. The sun beats down and seems unbearable. You've never been so tired or thirsty in all of your life.
Smiling, the man bends down and grabs your wrists. Before you can protest, he starts dragging you towards the Hummer's back doors. He opens them, and you look up just in time to see a mattress and a food bowl. He hoists you up and half shoves you into the back, pushing your feet in so he can close it. In your exhausted state, you can't even protest verbally. As the driver's door opens, you dimly realize that the man never asked for your address. Before you can ponder this further, the softness of the mattress, the heat of the day, and your exhaustive state all combine to have you drift off into a deep sleep. The gentle thumping of the Hummer on the road lulls you to sleep.
When you wake up hours later, the car is still on the move. Only now it seems to be much later in the day than it was. The sun is behind the trees whizzing past outside the windows, and the sky has a slight orange tint to it. The man in the driver's seat looks into the rearview mirror and smiles. "Ah, you're awake. Good." You're still groggy, and barely mumble out a thank you for the ride. "Oh, it's no trouble." The man says without looking away from the road.
His left hand grips the steering wheel while his right grabs a large water bottle sitting in the cup holder. "Thirsty?" he asks. Nodding, you reach across the seat and snatch the bottle from his hand. It's unmarked, but you don't care. Quickly screwing it open, you guzzle the water down. It's about a quarter gone when you notice that there's a slight...minerally taste to the water. You take another sip and find it to be quite enjoyable. You chug the rest of the water and throw the empty bottle into the corner of the back compartment.
"Better?" the man asks. You nod gratefully when all of a sudden a sharp pain hits your stomach. You groan and clutch an arm across your stomach. Another pain comes and you feel a burp coming on. It travels up your throat and it lets out, loud and clear. "What was in that water..." you mumble, collapsing face up onto the mattress.
The man just smiles and says simply, "Oh, you'll see, my friend. You'll see..."