Please can we go a little faster, the passenger said. Her knees were squeezed very tight together. Sometimes the body prays even if the mind doesn’t. The cab driver ignored her. Maybe he didn’t speak English? Excuse me, she said, and this time his eyes flickered to meet hers in the rearview mirror. Can we please, she said. She could taste blood in her mouth. Can we please go a little faster? Still no response. Houston was the least exciting place in the world for a car chase, thanks to the heavy traffic. Well, if even if she couldn’t move quickly, neither could They. She twisted around to see if she could still see Them. There. Tinted windows, so she couldn’t make eye contact, thank god, but she knew They were looking back. Sometimes, in moments of great stress or pain, she would find herself mentally chanting the alphabet, like the mantra of an idiot. Which made her an idiot. A B C D E F G all running together.

The driver turned the wheel almost lazily. Please, she said. Sir. He didn’t even look at her this time. For a moment, she wondered wildly if he were working with Them, if all of this was a conspiracy, but no — then he wouldn’t be driving her around in the first place. No, he wasn’t actively working against her: it was his indifference that would be her end. The pain from the pounding of her heart made her dig her nails into her seat. A B C D E F G. The universe was a callous place, and nobody was listening.