The car engine died three miles away from the condo.
Silence swallowed the car after the engine died. Beyond the windshield, darkness stretched beneath pale moonlight while distant waves crashed against the shore. Beside me, Alice slept curled against the passenger door. I gently woke her but sleep still clouded her expression as she looked around in confusion.
“Where are we?” she mumbled.
“Wake up,” I answered while unbuckling her seatbelt. “We’re walking the rest of the way.”
“Walking?” she repeated like I’d personally betrayed her. “Where?”
“You’ll see.”
She groaned but climbed out of the car. The night air wrapped around us instantly, cooler here than in the city. Alice rubbed at her eyes while trying to wake herself fully. Then we started walking eastward. At first she remained
