I stood there for hours but there wasn't a single car in sight, and the sun was starting to set, casting long shadows that made everything look like the beginning of a horror movie.
I wrapped my shawl—the only thing I managed to grab before coming out of the car—tightly around myself. The fabric barely offered any protection against the chill, but it was all I had.
After lingering for a few minutes, scanning the empty horizon, I finally started walking, hoping I would stumble across some kind of miracle—like a bus stop or, I don’t know, a wormhole that would take me straight to a bed. After a few minutes of wandering, I spotted a convenience store on the corner. My feet were killing me, and I figured I could at least buy some water before I collapsed on the sidewalk. I shuffled inside,
