I blared my stereo as I screamed down the freeway, dodging cars right and left. I kept an eye out for cops, not caring to think how big the bill would be if I got a speeding ticket. But apparently they were all tied up with the semi. Then it began to rain, and even though I’d been out of Vermont winters for a decade now, my bad weather driving skills still kicked in. Sadly, most Southern Californians don’t know how to drive in the rain, so I was forced to compensate not only for the slick roads but also for the clueless people around me.

After another hour I began to get nervous. I had never been any farther south than Newport Beach, so I had no idea where I was going. I had a vague recollection of the I-5 going all the way to Mexico, and I had a map that I’d hastily bought at the corner gas station but had yet to look at. I flipped open my cell phone and rolled through the numbers, my gaze flicking back and forth between the blue-lit screen and the shiny wet pavement.

The car in front of me slowed, then sped up again, then slowed … what was he doing? I downshifted into third as he evened out at a speed far slower than the flow of traffic. Cars were coming up fast on the right, so I didn’t want to pass him; instead I slowed to allow some distance to grow between us, and then all hell broke loose. I was hit twice from behind, the second impact pushing me into the guard rail on the left. The airbag exploded from my steering wheel, and suddenly everything was still, and I could see cars stopping and drivers pulling out cell phones to report the crash.

The front of my car had crumpled, and a glance in my rearview mirror showed that the trunk was a lot shorter than it had been when I’d left the apartment. There was another car scrunched up against the end of mine, but I couldn’t tell how badly it was damaged. I opened the door with a shaking hand and tumbled out. I saw two cars behind me, the closer one pretty well demolished. I slowly walked along my car, feeling dazed and trembling with adrenaline. I lost my breath when I could finally see the driver whose car was now fused to mine.