Tera pulled her big rig into the wannabe-truck-stop’s parking lot. She maneuvered under the awning and parked beside a pump. Her dog, a little brown and white terrier, watched her from his seat as she climbed out of the cab. He was a good boy and stayed in his seat even with the windows rolled down.
Tera was an average looking woman. She had soft brown eyes, a button nose, and curves that softened the bored attitude she always carried. Her brunette hair was tied up in a ponytail, sticking out the back of her trucker’s cap.
She finished pumping the fuel before going inside in search of her evening meal. And maybe some snacks. She purchased an extra long chili dog with extra chili and cheese, a giant cup of soda, and some chips. The bit of a gut that hung over the waistband of her pants attested to her sedentary lifestyle.
As she was selecting her chips, her eyes fell on a bag of people snacks. “Hmm. Haven’t had these in a while,” she mused. “Might as well.”
She grabbed the pack off the shelf and made her way to the front counter. She was careful in setting down the drink and chili dog but took no care with the people snacks and chips. She let those drop first so she had better stability in setting down the main part of her meal.
__________________________________________________________________
Reagan had kept a dull eye on the chubby brunette woman who’d entered the shop. She’d gone right past their bags, so Reagan didn’t much believe this would be their time.
How wrong she was when the woman walked back, casually glanced at their packaging, and gave their death sentence. The bag hadn’t been in motion since arriving on the shelf, only shifting with their small struggles and activity inside. The hand grasped around the sealed top of the plastic, letting the screaming people flail around with each swing of their prison. Reagan was smart and braced herself in the corner, using the leverage against her neighbors to keep herself secure. For her, it was like one of those old swing rides at her towns annual carnival, except with far less safety precautions and no joy to be had.
Being carelessly tossed onto the counter jostled the dozen people further, knocking them all to the ground as the package settled on its side. Reagan was thrown onto another young man, a frightened red head who clutched her arms when he felt her presence.
“Jesus christ! This is it, were fucking dead! Help me tear this shit, help me get out, we can still-“ Reagan’s hand clamped over his mouth, hushing him bluntly.
“If I hear one more whinge outta you, you’re not making it out of this bag, capiché?” She pushed herself off of him, uninterested in his mewling protests. Everyone else was doing no better or worse then him, all bargaining and infighting to stave off what was by this point inevitable, as soon as the declaration for above them was made:
“Forty-one, fifty-seven total, Miss.” The tired shop keeper said, tallying up her charge after taxes.
__________________________________________________________________
Tera slid her card as the clerk dumped her snacks in a plastic bag. She slid it over her arm, gathered her food and headed out the door. There was certainly a developed practice in her movements as she climbed into her truck. She put her chili dog on the dash, her drink in a cup holder, and dropped her chips and snacks in the floor.
“Alright mutsy,” she said to her dog. “Let’s get going. Don’t have time to spare.”
__________________________________________________________________
Nothing could stop them from being victim to the woman’s natural sway as she returned to her truck, everyone tossed about like peanuts and Reagan unfortunately caught in the middle of it. Where fear had dominated the general mood among them, Reagan only felt anger for the little things. How incompetent her “cell mates” were at keeping still, how stuffy it was inside the even bigger plastic shopping bag that now contained their own, and how long would it take before she was finally freed from these assholes.
Her mind stuttered. Even she couldn’t ignore the oncoming horror of what followed even that small victory.
The bag was tossed aside and the people went tumbling with it, abandoned on the floor of the passenger seat while the occupants painstakingly recovered from the rough trip.
“Hold on, everyone, Hold on!!” One of the men shouted over the rest. Their small voices didn’t carry far with the acoustic padding the bag provided, but the people within heard well enough.
“The air holes! We can reach them now and squeeze through, c’mon!” At his lead, the majority of people ceased toward the head of the bag where the miniature holes allowed air into their crevasse. Quickly they began reaching their arms through and attempting to push their whole bodies out. The plastic wouldn’t give though, not nearly elastic enough for them to succeed.
Reagan didn’t participate, waiting with two other stragglers at the newly opened up space near the base. She was taking this rare moment to relax while the idiots made their escape attempt. Who knows; if they made it, maybe she’d follow. Only after the first wave inevitably got caught so she could leave while their owner was occupied. That was a slim chance, if any though.
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