Consumed Read Free Page B

- extra time which was eating, slowly, into their camping trip.
     
    “Relax,” said Michael, “if you think about it...We’re only camping...It’s not as though we’re staying in a hotel. We could pitch up anywhere and have a nice weekend...We don’t have to go to that particular site...We could find another...One that’s closer...”
     
    “We agreed on this site,” said Joel. “We paid for space at this site...Now...Tell me, before I have to kill you...Where the fuck are we?”
     
    “We’re about an hour in the wrong direction...About...Give or take...An hour...Or two...”
     
    Joel turned to Dan, in the seats behind them, “Pass me the sat nav, will you?”
     
    Dan knew when to keep his mouth shut and simply passed the little box over to Joel. With no further words, he snatched it and secured it to the windscreen again. He stopped when he saw Michael start to put his seat-belt back on, “What are you doing?”
     
    “Safety. You know, if we get pulled over and I’m not wearing a seat-belt...I can get a fine...”
     
    “Fuel.”
     
    “I’m sorry?”
     
    “We agreed, you pay the extra fuel costs if we get lost. Well, we’re lost...We’re running low on fuel...And, oh look, we’re at a petrol station...The chances!”
     
    “They’re out.”
     
    “What?”
     
    “Yeah, they don’t have any fuel...” Michael finished putting his seat-belt on.
     
    “Did you think to ask where the nearest petrol station was?”
     
    “No, but there is a McDonalds about ten miles that way,” Michael helpfully pointed up the road. “Happy Meals all round?”
     
    Dan helpfully pointed out, “We’re supposed to be at the site already. We should have been tucking into a nice healthy heart-attack fry-up...”
     
    Michael, “McDonalds could still be serving breakfast. What time is it?”
     
    Joel shook his head, “You’re a dick. Really. You are.” He turned to the back of the van, “Lara, did you want to sit up here with me? Perhaps you could carry on calling me an asshole for the rest of the road trip? Yeah? Let’s really make it a trip to remember.”
     
    Lara replied by raising her middle finger.
     
    Michael leaned closer to Joel, “Come on, man, we’ll be laughing about this around the campfire in a few hours.”
     
    Joel turned the satellite navigation system on and sat back, waiting for it to book up properly, “You’re a dick, Mike...A dick. We’d have already been there. Tents would have been set up. Fry-up consumed. Laughter. Fun. Maybe we would have even had a little walk...” He addressed the rest of the group, “Everyone ready?”
     
    The group, with the exception of Michael, agreed unenthusiastically. Clearly they were all wishing they hadn’t chosen to go with Michael’s own internal map system.
     
    With no warning a hand slammed against the glass window on the driver’s side. They all jumped as no one had seen the person approach. Joel turned to see a rough looking man peering in. His clothes were tatty, his face was gaunt and unshaven, his dark brown hair messed up as though he had recently crawled through a hedge backwards.
     
    Joel wound the window down, “Can I help you?”
     
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you...Was just wondering if you guys could help me out...”
     
    “What’s up?” Dan called from the middle section of the van.
     
    The stranger leaned in, making Joel feel uncomfortable in the process, to address Dan, “Hi...Sorry...It’s just that I...” The stranger stopped when he saw Hayley. He couldn’t help but smile at her beauty. She, in turn, smiled back at him - more out of politeness than anything else. “Oh, hi...” the man said.
     
    “Hi,” said Hayley.
     
    “You were saying?” asked Joel. He shifted forward in his seat forcing the stranger to pull his head out of the van.
     
    “I broke down a little down the way. Just walked down here to use the phone...Just wondered if you’d mind driving me back to my car. My