"How much longer? I think my legs are going to give out." Owen complained for the fifth time in the last minute.

"For the last time, Owen, I don't know." Nick rubbed his temples and I rolled my eyes.

We had been walking for at least four hours. My legs were burning and I was sweating like a pig. We were in the middle of no-where, the only thing around us was mountains and desert. It was kind of beautiful if we're being honest, but my mood was too low to appreciate it. The sun was setting behind us, creating a yellow glow around our shadows.

"I'm tired." Abby groaned and Owen scoffed.

"You're not even walking!" He exclaimed since Abby forced him to give her a piggy-back ride for the last ten minutes.

"I was walking for like three hours before so I'm allowed to be tired." She tells us and I roll my eyes.

I was tired and hungry, more so than I've ever been before. I so desperately wanted to lay down and take a nap. I couldn't go another hour of walking along the side of the road where a car hasn't passed us in three hours. My shoes new looking color was destroyed by the sand and I hated myself for deciding wearing new shoes to the desert. In all fairness, though, I never expected to actually be in the desert.

"Guys, I need to sit down for a second." I announce, slowing down my pace.

The other turned around to look at me as I sit down on the ground. I knew my black jeans were now covered in sand, but I didn't care, it felt so good to bend my legs.

"Dylan, are you good?" Abby asked me intently, hopping off of Owen's back.

I knew why she was asking; a pregnant girl walking for four hours straight without food and water probably wasn't the healthiest thing ever.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I shake my head, closing my heavy eyes.

I just needed a break. Just a few minutes to relax with my eyes closed. That's all I need and I'll be able to keep going.

~ ~ ~

I woke up to my body moving. At first, I couldn't remember where I was and why my bed was moving. But soon all the memories of the past day came flooding back and I remembered I had been sitting when I feel asleep.

"I think she's asleep." I remember Abby's voice echoing in my head. "We shouldn't wake her up, she needs to rest."

"But if we keep going, we'll be able to make it before the sun is gone." Owen's voice said.

"I'll carry her." Nick's voice jumped in.

"You think you can do it? It's a long walk and it's harder to carry someone who's asleep than awake." Abby's voice questioned.

"Yeah, I can do it." Nick's voice replied and I felt my body lift off the ground.

Now, I stirred awake and peeled my eyes open to see that it was darker than it was before. A sweet smell filled my nose and I smiled. It was Nick's cologne. Peppermint. I always loved how he smelled and now I got a nose full of it as he carried me bridal style.

I could hear Owen and Abby bickering about something next to us, but I was still groggy from my nap so I didn't care. It was chilly out now and a shiver went down my spine.

"You're awake." I turn my head to look up at Nick, who was smiling down at me.

"Uh yeah, where are we?" I had asked.

"We're almost at the auto-shop. It should only be five minutes from now." I nod.

"Okay," I said. "You can put me down if you want, I can walk."

"Oh, right." His cheeks turned red and he stopped walking for a second to place me back on my feet.

My legs were sore and I winced at the weight on my fragile muscles, but I smiled at Nick.

He was blushing. How cute.

"Oh, you're awake." Owen points out when he notices Nick stop.

I rub my eyes and yawn, "Yeah, what were you guys arguing about while I was out?"

"Abby had to pee and Owen told her to just pee on one of those plants." Nick told me, pointing to one of the million shrubs around us.

"Yeah, it's not that big of a deal." Owen said, making Abby gag.

"That's disgusting, you're all disgusting." Abby announced and I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Wait, guys, what's that?" Owen suddenly stopped in his tracks, making us all freeze. He points to a sign just a few feet in front of us.

JEFF'S AUTO-SHOP

It was an old sign; the letters were fading off and it was covered in rust and sand.

"Oh my-" Owen dropped down to his knees. "Thank you Jesus." He looked up at the sky, his hands clasped together.

"Get off the fucking floor, Owen, I have to wazz." Abby grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him off his knees.

The building was a basic rectangular shape but the sides of the roof leveled up like stairs. Above the front door said JEFF'S GARAGE. The windows were boarded up and the door was closed and I feared that this place was actually abandoned.

Abby practically ran towards the doors, her heels dangling from her pinkie finger. She pulled them and they open easily. I could see that there was a light on inside.

"Abby, wait for us!" I called out and ran to catch up to her.

The boys followed and we all entered the building together.

The inside smelled like gas and oil. The walls were lined with old street ad traffic signs. There were shelves and metal racks littered with different kinds of tools and there were stacks of tires just sitting in the middle of the floor. To our left was a desk with a register on it, but no one was behind it.

"This place gives me the creeps." Owen shuddered.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out, my eyes scanning to see if anyone will come out of a door or pop up from behind a stack of tires.

"Y'all, I've got to wee bad. You think this place has a bathroom?" Abby asked us.

"Sure there is." We all jump at the new voice and turned towards the door behind the desk.

It was open now and an old man stood in the doorway. He had a thick southern accent and he was wearing oil stained overalls. He had brown hair that was greying at the top. It was slicked back with some sort of oil.

"Back here, there's a bathroom." He told Abby with a smile.

"Thank you." She breathed out and ran past him to find the toilet.

He turned his head back to the three of us, his eyes observing our appearances.

"What brings you kids all the way out here?" He was cleaning a wrench with a dirty red rag in his hands as he walked over to the desk.

"We're looking to rent a car cheap. Like, fifty bucks cheap." His eyes looked between the three of us intently, chewing something between his teeth,

He turned his head and spit into a metal trash can next to the desk. It was tobacco, and I felt like I was going to vomit.

"Where y'all heading off to?"

"Vegas." I answer, making his eyes fall on me.

He smiles and I shrink into myself, regretting making myself known.

"What's a pretty lady like you doin' goin' to Vegas?"

"None of your business." Nick stepped out in front of me, almost like to shield me from him.

I felt grateful because his eyes couldn't sit on me anymore.

He smirked. "No need to get defensive." He holds his hands up, his palm towards us but his pinkie and thumb were gripping the wrench and rag against his right palm. "I was tryin' to get to know ya'."

"Do you have a car we can rent or not?" Owen asked impatiently.

The man laughed and continued to clean the wrench.

"I sure do."

I smile in relief and share a glance with Owen.

"Money up front." He stuck his out his hand, palm towards the sky.

Owen rolled his eyes and pulled the fifty dollar bill from his pocket and placed it in his palm. The palm pulled his arm back and inspected the bill, hic lips apart as he chewed his tobacco.

"All right, follow me." He announced, stuffing the money in his overwall pocket and placing the wrench and rag on the desk.

He walked around the desk and we followed him through the building. We walked through a door that led outside to another building with a garage door instead of a front door.

"Ah, I feel so much better." Abby announced as she walked back over to us. "What's going on?"

"He's showing us the car we're renting." I told her as the man bent down to the ground.

He grabbed ahold of the latch at the bottom of the garage door, lifting it open as he stood up. Behind the garage door was a pickup truck. It wasn't new by any means. In fact, if he told me that truck has been sitting in that garage since the Manifest Destiny, I wouldn't be surprised. The red paint was chipping off and it was rusting all over. It was an old model, probably made sometime in the 1960s. It would have been beautiful during it's time.

"Here she is." The man announced, walking over to the driver's side, patting the hood with pride. "Ain't she a beaut?"

"Yeah, she's quite a sight." Abby replies with her eyes wide at the car.

"Her name's Beverly; had her since I was a kid." He tells us, looking over the car with reminisce and love. "Take good care of her, ya' hear?"

"We will-" Owen assures him as he starts to walk over to the driver's seat.

The old man sticks up his hand. "Not so fast."

Owen freezes and we all look at him curiously. His eyes were staring at something near the ground. He points at it.

"I want the shoes."

Abby looks down at her hand which was holding her heeled boots. She brings them to her chest protectively.

"No!" She shrieks, looking at the man like he's gone mad.

The old man shugs and sticks his hands in the pockets of his overalls.

"No shoes, no car."

He made his offer final, running us all silent. We were desperate, considering this was the only car rental place within a hundred miles and we had already walked five hours to get here.

"Give him the shoes, Abby." Owen told her and she gasped.

"No! They're my favorite pair!" She cried, craddingly the shoes to her chest like a baby.

"Give him the fucking shoes, Abby. I'll buy you a new pair." Abby looked at him silently, her lips turned down slightly.

She sighed and slowly reached her shoes out towards the old man. He smiled and grabbed them and pulled them towards him, but they didn't budge, He tried pulling again, but Abby held on tight.

"Abby, let go." I patted her shoulder and she shook her head.

"I can't do it."

Owen rolled his eyes. "For the love of God-" He pried the shoes from her fingers and handed them to the man. Abby shrieked.

The old man smiled and admired the shoes. "My daughter will love these." He mumbled as he reached into his overall pocket and tossed Owen the keys. "Have fun, kid."

"Thanks." The man walked back into the main building, heeled boots in hand.

"I think that went well." Nick said abruptly, making us all look at him.

"What am I going to do now? I'm barefoot and I lost my favorite pair of shoes for this hunk of junk." Abby crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'll buy you a new pair in Vegas, let's just get in the car and go. I'm tired." Owen told her, jingling the keys in his hand.

The four of us got into the car, Owen driving, Abby in the passenger seat, and Nick and I together in the back. Owen tuned the keys in the ignition and the car roared to life. Well, more like screamed in pain. It sounded like the car was choking on oil.

For the next two hours the drive was anything but smooth. The car shook violently, so none of us were able to catch up on sleep in fear the car would explode while we were out.

I laid my head on the window, staring at the desert passing us. The sun was completely gone now and the stars were clear in the sky. In the city, it's hard to see the star with all the pollution and lights, but out here, it's clear as day.

We were all silent with fatigue, the static filled radio filling our ears. It fell in and out of a country station, "Tequila" coming through the static every once in a while.

Suddenly, the car shook and rumbled, causing us all to look around.

"No, no, no, no-" Own mumbled to himself and I noticed the smoke coming out of the hood of the car.

"What's happening?" I asked to no one in particular as Owen steered the car to the side of the road where we slowed to a stop.

"I think the car just broke down." Nick answered my question.

Owen slammed his head into the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare.