I feel myself floating through cold darkness as the tail end of my dream begins to fade away into the ether of sleep. This leaves me with a eerie feeling, when the gentle rumbling of the car snaps me awake. I jolt upright and the bright light glaring through the windows temporarily overwhelms me as I try to get my bearings. My hand rises to block my face from the sun as my eyes adjust.

An older man with well groomed silver hair wearing a plaid flannel shirt sits in the driver seat. With his eyes locked on the road, and his ears locked on the radio playing at a barely audible volume to maintain the tranquility of the vehicle, he says to me in a deep and comforting voice,

“You can lay back down. We still have a ways to go yet.”

“Where are we?” I reply.

“Not quite there. Not quite anywhere, really.” He lets out a small friendly chuckle, never taking his eyes off the road.

I shake my head and stretch my jaw, still desperate to wake up and get my wits about me.

“Go back to sleep. I promise you won’t miss nothin.” The driver continues in a slow, deliberate drawl.

His voice sounds familiar but I still can’t quite make out who it is and my focus is still on trying to figure out where we are. I attempt to retrace my steps and think back to when this road trip began, but my mind is blank. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to remember getting in this car. I can’t even remember falling asleep. I try as hard as I can to remember how I got here but, again, nothing.

The view through the window starts to become clear as my eyes finally adjust. The sun is high in the sky and it shines down on the golden plains that stretch out in all directions for what seems to be an eternity. The two lane road is descolet and there isn’t another car in sight. My heart rate begins to quicken as I continue to struggle to make sense of what’s happening.

“Wait, where are we going?” I blurt out.

“Settle down. The hard part is over. It’s all smooth sailing at this point. Well, for the most part, anyway.” He says with a knowing little laugh.

Now, feeling close to fully awake, panic begins to set in. I focus as hard as I can on remembering how I got in this car. When I fell asleep. Where I was… anything! I can’t remember anything!

“Who are you?! Pull over!” I scream.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. There’s no pulling off of this road.”

“What the fuck does that mean?! Why can’t I remember anything?!”

“Relax.” He says in a soothing voice, unfazed by my manic state.

“Of course you can remember. You’re just trying to remember the wrong things. Close your eyes and try again.”

Though my heart is still racing, my muscles begin to loosen as I close my eyes and attempt to remember anything I can. I start when my eyes first opened a few moments ago. Then dig a little deeper to the dream I was having right before that. The cold darkness. The feeling of floating. It starts to slowly come back to me. That’s right! I remember being in the car. Well, In _a_ car. But something is different. I remember driving the car down a long dark road. I remember seeing the falling snow illuminated by my headlights. I can hear my friends in the car laughing and singing. I’m not participating. I’m too busy focusing on the road. I remember the feeling of looking forward to where we were going. A weekend trip to the mountains. A long awaited getaway. I remember Erika in the passenger seat next to me. Her hand gently placed on my leg. I remember the ice. I feel the car slowly begin to slide. At first, no one even notices but me. Then I feel Erika’s hand quickly begin to tighten its grip on my leg. I think the traction will come back to the tires any second, but it doesn’t. The car starts to turn and slide sideways. The laughter in the car turns to panicked silence as we brace for whatever is coming. Whatever is waiting for us in the cold dark night. My stomach drops as I see headlights through my window coming directly at us. This can’t be happening. I turn the wheel. Lock the brake. Anything! Anything I can do to take back control but, it’s too late. I’m helpless. There’s nothing I can do. I don’t even hear the impact. Suddenly, I just feel like I’m floating. It’s cold and quiet. A disassociated peace comes over me. Then I wake up in this car.

I open my eyes as tears stream down my face.

“I remember.” I whisper.

“I know.” Says the driver still peacefully listening to the quiet radio.

“Where are my friends? Where’s Erika?”

“They’re still back where you left them.”

“Are they okay?”

“Not exactly. But you’re the only one who’s here.”

We sit in silence for a moment that feels like an eternity.

“What happens now?” I ask nervously.

“That’s a little hard to explain. One of those things you kinda just have to see for yourself. Which, you will soon… we’re almost there.”

I take a deep breath and try to steady myself in the unknown.

“One thing I can say is, you have nothing to worry about. Everything is gonna be A-Okay. Just try to look at it as going… home. Kinda.” The driver chuckles again. “Alright, ready or not, here we come.” The driver lets go on the wheel as the car starts to drive itself.

I nod and take in another deep breath. The scene outside the car quickly begins to change. The light starts to bend and a feeling of calm comes over me. I close my eyes but nothing happens. I don’t have eyes. The driver is gone. I am the driver. I am everything.