For an hour, Jon drove. None of them spoke to one another. They weren't sure what to say.
Then, suddenly, the old man appeared in the backseat of the car, between Sarah and Zoe.
They both yelled out in surprise and Jon slammed on the brakes, almost making the car behind him hit the back of the car. Outside he heard cursing and honking.
"Keep on driving, Jon," he said, calmly.
So he did.
"Nice move back there, by the way. I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Around here you're kind of on your own," the old man said.
"What happened to my grandfather? Why did he ..."
"Threaten you?" He took a deep breath. "He has something important to do, Jon. And you got in his way. He has to complete his objective, by any means necessary."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You'll understand. Soon. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. You're doing a little better than I expected. Which is good. Running over the cop was a good idea. I wasn't sure if you were capable of that."
"He wasn't a cop."
"I know. And you'll probably see him again. But be careful. The next time you see him, he'll be a lot more cautious of you." He checked his watch. "Wow, it's that time already?" he said to himself. "Listen, Jon. I've got to go. I'll see you later. Okay?"
Then he disappeared.
