Paper Map

“I can’t believe your phone is dead. Why can't you charge it overnight like everyone else?!” Julianna whined. “Overnight? We did not go to bed. We took a nap for three hours and now we're back on the road. It's not my fault,” Chloe snapped back, looking ahead at the road where the crescent moon only shines in certain areas. The two young college students wanted to do a fun road trip over April break, though unintentionally ended up being forced to stay at sketchy hotels and sipping watered down coffee.

 “Okay fine, but you can’t blame me! That hotel gave me the creeps! And why the hell did the store only have paper maps? It's 2008! I thought everyone burned them.” 

“Juli–"

"AND! Night time driving is the most fun! It's only 4:12 in the morning, just two more hours til sunrise!” Julianna beamed, reclining her chair back and setting her feet on the dash. 

Her black curly hair covered her face. 

Sighing, Chloe swiped Julianna’s feet off the dash. “Don't put your grubby feet on my dash.” 

“Quello che vuoi. Cagna,” Julianna mumbled in her Italian tongue. 

“Don’t call it that!” Chloe yelled in between a laugh. 

“Since when do you know Italian?!” Julianna gasped, slipping a guilty smile across her face. 

“I have been practicing for like a month now!” Chloe said, turning her head towards her best friend. Her ginger hair steadily went back in place. Julianna smiled. 

“Whatever. It looks like there is going to be a fork in the road. Ummm, turn left!” 

They continued to drive down a dirt road. Trees started growing farther apart, and more whimsical looking. Chloe and Julianna began to start a cold sweat, as the setting around them looked like something filmed in a thriller movie. Trees with no leaves attached, dull looking, whipped and wrapped around each other. Wind began to blow, making scratching noises as limbs started to rub against each other. The moon that shined only a selected amount of light was absorbed by dark clouds, thunder cracking above. Headlights were the only source of where to go. And an old expired paper map. Chloe's 2003 Chevrolet Impala stopped at a fork in the road. “Left, right?” Chloe asked unsurely.

 “Right,” Julianna responded.