The sign:
A diamond, yellow thing,
Glowing in the dark at the side of a road,
Harsh black lines crossing through its face
Like scars that screamed to back away.
In bold, dark letters: 

Dead End.

You are in the shotgun.
The gps has long died.
The road is a one way forward.
And my hands are shaking.

We keep going.

The headlights dance in our vision;
Deer jump from the surrounding foliage
And each time they stop to stare at us.
Then, with their eyes glowing blindly in the night,
They scream,
Their molars dropping from their gums
And their hooves pawing desperately at the asphalt.
Go back. Go back. Go back.

We keep going.

At some point the forest disappears
And instead we are surrounded by the desert.
There is not one oasis in sight
Although the dead rise from the sand
Thirsting and screaming for water,
Crawling for our car.
You look at me warily when one of them pounds against our window.
I keep my eyes on the road and let the moon burn in my cornea.

We keep going.

The road winds.

We keep going.

The sky never changes color.
The moon shines much too brightly.
It may as well be another set of headlights.
Maybe it's salvation.
Maybe...

We keep going.

The sign:
A square, green thing,
Glowing in the dark at the side of a road,
Harsh white lines crossing through its face
Like healing scars that scream sorrow.
In bold, bright letters:

You Are Lost.



We have pulled to a stop.
You are still.
I ask if you are alright.
You ignore me and instead leap from the car.

You stand in front of the wheels,
Shadowed in the vibrant headlights,
And you start to scream.
The world is silent aside from your shrieks
And I am shaking in the front seat.

You gurgle on blood and you teeth fall
And your eyes are glowing
Oh god they are glowing
And I want to leave but

The gps has long died,
The road is a one way forward,
And my hands are shaking, they are shaking they are shaking

So instead I am forced to press on the gas.

You Are Lost.

And I zoom forward.

Dead End.

You body squelches beneath the tires.

I keep going.
And behind me,
You crawl from the sand,
Reaching after my tail lights like they are the stars.

I keep going.