When Nothing Works

Lana leapt out of her Porsche, ran to the back of it and gasped in horror at the damage Star’s car had done. Star calmly got out of her car and also gazed at the damage.

“What is wrong with you?” Lana screamed at Star.

Star shrugged. She felt a smirk spread across her face. She enjoyed seeing this rich cow upset. It made the chip she carried around on her shoulder feel just that wee bit lighter.

“What can I say? First of all you cut me off, and then you have the nerve to give me the finger. I’m sick of rich people like you thinking you can do whatever you want,” Star replied.

“I’m sorry I cut you off, but I was in a hurry and…” Lana began to explain but was herself cut off.

“So is the whole world. Anyway, why are you sweating it? It’s just a dent. I’m sure it’s just loose change for you to get this fixed up.”

Lana sized the woman up. She was young, scrawny and looked like her hair could do with a serious dose of conditioner. Lana could feel her face burning with anger but also panic. She didn’t know wether to cry or bawl her eyes out. She was in serious trouble. Inhaling deeply she tried to hold back the tears.

“For your information I’m not rich. This is not my car. Now take a guess at what I do for a living. That’s right. I sell cars, top luxury cars. I get paid ok, but certainly not enough to be able to afford one of these. My boss is now going to kill me. He doesn’t even know I borrowed it. Look at it!”

To Lana’s amazement, the young woman began to smile. Lana wanted to slap her but told herself an assault charge would not make her day any better. Star looked at the blond neurotic woman and began to giggle. The joint she had finished was taking effect, but she was also strangely starting to like this woman.

“You borrowed it. That’s cool.”

“Cool?” Lana wanted to explode. “I have a massive dent in this car. I’m dead. Do you understand? Not only am I now officially unemployed but he will probably try to sue me for damages.”

“Sorry”, Star replied. “Anyway, you’ll be lucky if you even get to see your boss. We could be stuck here for hours.”

Lana suddenly realised that the whole time they had been arguing not one single car had moved. As far as her eye could see, traffic was at a stand still. She had told herself earlier that there must have been an accident up ahead but when she had tried to listen for the report on the radio, not one station had worked. A man in another lane opened his door and called out to them.

“Does anyone know what’s going on? My radio’s not working.”

An older couple got out of another car and said their radio also wasn’t working.
One by one people began getting out of their cars. One man held up his mobile phone.

“Is anyone getting a signal?"

People everywhere, as far as Star could tell, were shaking their heads. Her phone was also not working.

“Have you noticed anything unusual about this morning?", she asked Lana.

Lana was beginning to feel nervous. She looked at Star. Star had dropped her nonchalant attitude and was now looking confused. Lana nodded.

“You know it's weird, but my TV wasn’t working this morning and when I drove past a shop just before, every single TV in the window had the same strange….

“….red line,” Star finished Lana’s sentence.

At that moment a young man got out of his car and approached the small group of people which had now formed around them.

“My internet's down,” he told the group. “I couldn’t even phone my work to find out what’s going on.”

Another woman added that no one in her street had received a paper.

“This is madness.” Lana whispered to Star.

“I’ll tell you what madness is”, Star replied. “We’re standing here inhaling fumes when we could be drinking coffee. Let’s split.”

“What? Just leave the cars?” Lana asked.

“Why not? Yours doesn’t even belong to you and mine is a dump that I’d be happy to see the back of. Anyway, I’ve got a feeling they’re going to be hours here.”

Lana realised at that moment she had nothing to lose. Her day surely couldn’t get any worse. Before she knew it, she found herself walking with Star through the mess of cars back towards the Highberry tunnel.

As they walked back past the cars and the horns blaring, both women swapped names then Star asked Lana why she had borrowed the car.

“I was trying to impress a boyfriend who thinks I’m a successful career woman. Truth is he really doesn’t know me. And there’s part of me that would like to keep it that way.

“Well, you had me fooled”, Star responded. She then glanced at the huge glittering monstrosity perched on Lana’s finger. “How about that ring? Now that must have cost an arm.”

Lana grinned. “Made of glass. I bought it at a flea market for $11.95.”

Star laughed. She went to say something but stopped. Somewhere in the distance she could hear something. Lana could hear it too. The noise was coming from the traffic ahead. It sounded like a crowd roaring at a football game only as the noise grew louder it became terrifyingly clear that it was an ensemble of screams.

Lana grabbed Star by the hand and without thinking the two women began to run towards the tunnel. Star felt a wave of cold terror sweep over her. As she sprinted for the tunnel, she turned her head slightly and saw rising up behind her a blackness descending over the traffic, engulfing cars and people until there was nothing more to see.