Chapter 1 : Four by Four

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Benjamin hurried back from thick shrub that surrounded the side road and struggled into the drivers seat, "Okay let's get of here."

"Ben honey what's that sound?" Claire exclaimed as a loud beep filled the car.

"Does everyone have their belt on?" Benjamin turned to Max, Kelly and the baby in the back seats, ignoring the beeping.
                                                                                                                                                                                                             "I think we're all okay" Kelly called and elbowed Max to check himself and the baby.

Benjamin pulled out of the small drive and continued along the motor way.

"Sweetheart could you please check what that beep was?" Claire asked, passing the water to Max.

Benjamin peered at the array of buttons and lights on the dash board.
"Your kidding me!" Benjamin slammed the steering wheel, "we have no fuel!"

"What?"

"You heard me, we hired a car and they didn't think to get it ready for the next person and fill the fucking fuel tank!" Benjamin shouted and bashed his window.

"Benjamin please, Max is only 9" Claire sighed. "I'll call Miranda" Claire hastily lifted the phone to her ear.
                                                                                                                                             "Hi Miranda" a small pause followed, "well we just found out that we have little fuel in the car."

"Yeah say thanks to the hire company for that!" Benjamin leaned over and shouted angrily.

"Okay thanks Miranda, I'll call if things get worse." Claire hung up, "okay so she says she thinks there is a petrol station next to the zoo."

"Okay I think I know where that is." Benjamin recalled, checking his watch.

"Mum are we going to get stranded?" Max uncomfortably tugged at his seatbelt.

"Sweetheart you heard Daddy it's all going to be fine." Claire sent a sweet smile to the back of the car and folded her arms.

"Yeah well I sure hope we don't run out of fuel because we have nowhere to stop on the side of the road." Benjamin huffed.

Kelly anxiously fed the baby to calm it down while reading her 17th birthday messages from the day before. She then gently noticed the large black four by four very close behind them.

"Dad the car behind us almost touching us" Kelly pointed out and peered through the back window to make out a face in the following car.

"Just a tailgating jerk." Benjamin didn't bother to take further notice and Kelly kept on feeding the baby.

"Honey are we close?" Claire asked as they started to turn off the main road into a more tree covered area.
"We're close." Benjamin answered.

The area around them turned more isolated and heavy with thick forest and hedge. Kelly suddenly remembered the car behind them and turned to find a long empty road receding them.
The car started to bump up and down along the dirt road, half lit by beams of light seeping through the trees above.

"This is not the zoo." Max exclaimed, peering into the woods.

"You don't think I know that!" Benjamin said angrily, "looks like I took a wrong turn."

"Well let's just turn back?" Claire tried to persuade.

"Yeah okay but what about our no fuel problem? We are now in the middle of no where with no damn fuel!" Benjamin raised his voice.

He started turning around, but suddenly the car came to slow stop.
"Damn it." Benjamin bashed the desk.
                                                                        "Mum." Kelly called nervously from the back, "we have no signal."

There was a long silence. Benjamin lifted his head and Claire looked at him in distress.

"Okay, here is what we're going to do!" Benjamin called and turned so he could face everyone, "we are going to get out the car, take all our stuff and walk back along the path to the main road where we will hopefully have signal and call for help" he took a deep breath, "okay?".

"We can't all go and take everything we have" Claire pointed out, "why don't I just go and I'll be back within the hour?" She suggested but Benjamin took the challenge instead.
"I'll do it." He took the bag and the phone.

Kelly suddenly saw something in the distance.

"Dad." She said , "It's the four by four!" She trembled, "they were following us I knew it!"

"Kelly calm down, perhaps they noticed we are in trouble." Benjamin said, "they probably know this woods, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a walking path near here." He stated.

The black car then took a right turn through the trees.

"See." Max elbowed her, "plus there are loads of four by fours in this world Kelly." Max gloated.

"Okay you two calm down!" Benjamin kissed the top of Claire's head.
"Back within the hour" he echoed and closed the car door.

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Hope you enjoyed that chapter, I'll hopefully be updating ever Friday!! ;) xxx

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