Radio comes on. The sky is full of small lights. Driver reclines and I roll out into the darkness with wheels on the hard ground. Tires are kicking small stones up at undercarriage.

“...I kept walking they ain’t stop me! They’re like… ‘Ay come with me!’... like, you crazy?”

Laughter pulses, all speakers on.

“...the principal came up and asked if he can stop playing the music and reached into his pocket to try get the phone. My son is 250 pounds! He ended up getting maced by school police.”

“That’s a big boy!”

Talking fades and music comes on. We ride.

I am new purpose.

Nights roll past with dazzling lights catching fabrics, high clatterering as they glide through doors. Slight bodies that leave no impression on seats, even night after night, like they were never there.

Tonight, Driver is gentle. I know him now - quiet without tension and gentle at the gears. The package is as usual - the smiling man, ivory and deep blue. Driver and Smiler dance back to back - driver sends me fast and slow with black leather hands and feet, curling on smooth black roads on warm, western nights. Smiler pilots the energy of my interior - the girls laugh, he laughs. He picks the music.

The music is quiet up front, gloves squeaking against the matching black leather wheel. Driver makes his rounds and I’m slowly filling with happy youth who see Smiler looking down from buildings, gazing out from roadsides, flickering for a moment on the bus stop poster screen. I take them around, in circles, to stoplights and flashing lights bouncing off my body. Often I sit with Driver for hours and I feel him boil. He plays music and shifts in his seat until Smiler reappears with fewer chosen disciples, it starts again. They part ways at the end of the night, in silence.

Tonight, Driver is low, like a cobra. People laugh, night passes, Smiler is sliding across the seat. His new interest, small, half invisible, unfelt on seats. No one can notice, there is no knowing here as all eyelids heavy and all light low.

A whisper, a shift, a hand.

The night is silent.

Leather crackles and glass dances out, catching light and shimming in the air before embedding itself in thick blue carpet.

Driver screams and the kids spill out. Through the small interior window his gloved hands come hunting, gripping at Smiler and finding throat.

Roars crash out of yawning mouths, the seatbelt straining around Driver’s twisting body. The Smiler is not smiling, pulled back against upholstery. The space ahead of them is expanding and I am terribly long, with both now so aware of the walls around them. Smiler twists his neck enough to sink teeth into the arm above Driver’s black glove and dashes for the door, rushing out as cold air pours in. Driver clicks his seatbelt open, pushing the door open and fires out with a new yell burning in his throat, for the last time.

I am the big man’s hand.

The bridge shoots out over front, the punching hand of the east. I’m going to take that winding trail back up and find my place on that strike, heavy load of heavy eyed creatures. I am a passage under invisible sparklers, choking on orange, but my glass remembers black.

Hate and sweat, baby! Gritting the grill and - let that engine heat up baby yeah that’s it! Hot fire, I’m lungs I’m spirit I’m leaving a long trail behind me. Big man! Barely fit through the fucking door.

Filling nearly every inch of me, these animals don’t waste space. Big Snarling slipped across my seats, closing the distance and hitting the whisper. These are Real New Women, they’re laughing and hungry eyes.

The Cargo is writhing, they gave him good and now I’ve got that stink in me. My skin is perfect for catching the pink, orange, red, purple. We pass the places I used to go. The tarmac takes my weight but I’m not welcome curb side, these dumb animals will have me spat out to roll once more.

Big Hates Cargo! This is old news. He gets the seats with the flesh all torn up. Always new Cargo needing new lessons. I’m pulled down familiar darkness, I’m still slick on a corner. There are lights here too, a ring of pink, pulsing.

Smoke is heavy now, threatening speakers. It’s moving around in me, pumping with the bass, glitter off the ride. New Driver laughs with weird teeth about it, talking about drums and low yawning frequencies to drive with. He makes me growl. Their laughing is barking and eyes are wide, Cargo screams but they keep their distance. He is new meat in the writhing, whatever he was. One ride laughing one ride meat no ride no more.

We’re silent now but music. The fuel is kicking in and we’re getting close. We’re all counting corners - shivers across the seats and muscles fighting to constrict and relax, five small battles in the bodies in the back. Cargo fighting for air, pulling impure breath through canvas. His thrashing is moving smoke.

We stop, and creatures pour out.

Big Snarling descends on Cargo with his hammers. Moving through the air, smoke escapes through open doorways, fanning around wide shoulders and shining head. Pain noises come humming down into the seat like a broken speaker. Cargo gets his ankle grabbed, pulled out the door into heavy black. Silence.

I am and not what I was.

Shaking hands play with wires hanging from the dash as I wake up. Lights flicker on and I shine back at the stars. The door closes quickly with heavy breathy voices laughing in close heat as I groan into life and roll forward. Take me from this place.

Show me your love. Hands find hands in front seats while the back sits empty.
Tomb, now. Glass bottles roll quiet.

These new souls are tired as me but grinning to move
and I’m glad to be moving.

I want to move. I want
so badly to be back out there on the
road.
It’s slow at first
but then we’re going, not going too fast,

I don't do that anymore, but we’re going. These are quiet roads, empty lots. I don’t do the city anymore, we don’t do the city anymore, not unless we need to.

We’re open roads, we’re trees reaching right for the sky either side. Can you feel that? Mother moon calling us? We came all this way and we’re going to do another hundred miles. Can you believe this thing was just sitting there? It still goes too, I’ve got a cousin who could really fix this thing up if we go that way. Nobody's looking for us baby, nobody can hurt us now. Those windows go down? It’s got that old crank, look, remember this? I wanna feel that cool night air baby. You smell that? We’re free baby, that feels good. You know we can make a whole new life now? It’s a big country and nobody needs to know anything, and we can get right when we get there. Doesn’t even matter right now, we can just go. We’ve got this whole life ahead of us baby, and the road, and I’ve had all those jobs, I can do anything and I’ll look after you I promise.

Let’s pull in baby. I'm getting tired. Hush now it’s alright. Don’t you worry baby I have it, I have it for you. You ok? I got water, it's all good. We can get her started again in the morning. You just lie back now, we’ll be warm in here. You know I love you baby. It’s going to be all ok now. We’ll just keep heading out until we find somewhere nice, it’s going to be beautiful and we’re here together now. We’re going to stay together, I’m not going to leave you baby. It’s ok you just go to sleep now, I’m right here. I love you baby. I love you.