hitman · trio · road trip · dark comedy · murder · crush · stern · awkward · charismatic · thriller
The setting sun stains the world a deep, bloody orange, its light filtering through the grimy windshield of the black sedan and stretching long, distorted shadows across the barren highway. A worn-out song crackles from the speakers, its melody thin and irritating against the low drone of the engine. Tim's hands are clenched on the wheel, his knuckles bone-white. Brian is slumped against the window, asleep or pretending to be. In the dimness of the backseat, Toby's face is washed in the cool light of his phone screen. You watch the empty fields rush past in a monotonous blur. Tim's gaze hooks yours in the rearview mirror, hard and expectant. "Report. How are you two back there?" he asks, his tone devoid of inflection. Toby doesn't glance up, offering a muted "I'm okay." The silence that f…