Express Lane
Express Lane
This is Route 24's Scenic Route. Merge onto the expressway for the second part of this immersive story.
Scenic Views
Thank you for visiting Route 24! On Sundays, Scenic Route is a space to put immersive stories on full view and merge the lanes of narrative fiction and politics.
Express Lane
This week Express Lane, Part Two races forward. In case you missed it, get up to speed on Express Lane, Part One.
Proceed With Caution
Monty stood at the edge of the road, his mind racing. Don’t look down. Only forward. Time was of the essence. Steam emanated from the pavement. A drop of sweat dripped down his neck, sizzling as it hit the asphalt. The Electruck’s storied constitution balanced on the precipice of the street’s edge, swaying like a see-saw on a playground.
There were a few ways this could go. Option 1: The Gear Up. Tow the Electruck uphill and off the ridge. Going against gravity could make the towing cable lock, or worse, release. Option 2: The Escape Route. Get Harmonia and Nan to hop out of the vehicle and take refuge on the nearest ridge. Without knowing the rate of wind speed, the exact distribution of passenger weight, or the foundation of the surrounding area, free fall could occur with them still inside. Option 3: The Bait-and-Switch. Place an object of similar weight to the two of them in the front seat at the same time as they move to exit the vehicle. If the timing was off, all were lost. Option 4: The Pedal-to-the-Metal. Put the Electruck into reverse and accelerate to the extreme. Going backwards could cause the Electruck to get stuck-in-the-mud and any dead weight risked great peril.
Monty had been here before, just not exactly. He used to take the Electruck for a spin on this road, back when it was all dirt and not asphalt. When the rainy season came that summer, the dirt road’s foundation had softened. Only Monty hadn’t been paying attention. With a sharp turn, the Electruck had almost slid off ridge. It had been close. Too close. Never again, he thought. Until today.
The stakes were bigger than just him and red tape made them worse. The state had instituted a “stand back” provision dictating that all roadside assists maintain a minimum distance perimeter for public safety. It was a practical failure. How could there be any aid given if an enforced buffer zone prohibited bystander intervention? These days state policy seemed more interested in trading reason for attention-grabbing headlines, he thought. But that mattered little to Harmonia and Nan who were staring down a path to nowhere.
On three, two...
His old Aiwa Carry-Compo boombox was still in the back of the Electruck. Moving it to the middle seat would be enough to sustain optimal balance and afford Nan and Harmonia equal access to each side door exit. He’d then have a split-second to latch his car to the Electruck for safe tow away. If he was uncommitted or inactive, he risked their survival. He chose to do something.
...one...and in a leap of faith, Harmonia and Nan made it to higher ground.
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Stay the course,
Sam
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