I -95 at 12:45 AM (677 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.29 on 21 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Grownasskid (View user info) at 2007-03-05 15:01:42 EST
"Just answer the question."
"Hang on, hang on. Explain this to me again."
Nate sighed. He turned his head to look at Evan in the passenger seat, but kept both of his hands on the wheel.
"Okay, here's the deal. You can do one of two things".
Nate took one hand off the wheel and raised one finger, just in case Evan needed a visual.
"You can be locked in a room with no windows or a bed or anything for the next...I guess...lets say 60 years of your life. And every day, once a day, Hitler and a bunch of his friends get to come in there for, like, an hour or two and beat the shit out of you and fuck with you. Basically, they get to do whatever they want to you for two hours a day."
Evan turned to look at Nate. "Fuck with me?" What do you mean, 'fuck with me?'"
Nate turned back to look at the road. He thought about it for a minute, and then glanced back at Evan. "They can fuck you in the ass, beat the shit out of you, and make you suck them off. I don't know, whatever you think Hitler would want to do to someone."
Evan smiled. "So, for the purpose of this exercise, Hitler was a sadist homosexual?"
Nate shot Evan a tired look. He eased on the break as his red mini van came to a red light at the corner of Latta Rd and 6th. He turned to Evan and went on. "For the purposes of this exercise, yes. But, by taking these 60 odd years of violent punishment, you prevent the holocaust."
"Prevent the holocaust?" Evan raised his eyebrows. "Is there still a world war two?"
Nate paused again. IT was his turn to raise his eyebrows. The light turned green, and Nate stared the van up again. He moved into the right lane and prepared to get on to the freeway. "Yeah, there's still a world war two. The only change is that the, I don't know, 10 million odd people killed as a result of the holocaust are spared their demise in gas chambers and prison camps and whatnot."
Evan paused and looked out the window. Residential houses gave way to gas stations, fast food places, and strip malls. Even the late night darkness couldn't hide the ugly warts of the urban sprawl that choked the one time farming community of upstate NY. Evan didn't care one way or another about it really; it just made for some pretty unappealing scenery. "Does anyone know that I'm in the room? Is there, like, any hope of rescue?" Evan asked.
Nate answered quickly. "No, no one knows that you're in there. One day, you're just gone."
Evan needed a recap. "So, I'm in this room for the rest of my life, getting violently raped and beaten on, but by doing so, I save 10 million people I will never know and who will never know that I am the reason for their salvation." Nate nodded. "Well, what's the second option?"
Nate spoke without looking at Evan. He held two fingers in the air; just to be sure the point was driven home. "The second option, my good man, is to leave things as they way that they are now. You can choose a life of unappreciated suffering to save the faceless, or you can live with the guilt that you would not save those who could save themselves."
The car was silent except for the mechanical hum of tires on pavement. Nate signaled into the far right lane, and merged on to the expressway. The mini van stalled for a moment before propelling itself into gear. The van was a lonesome sight on the mostly empty expressway.
Nate put the car into cruise control and took his hands off the wheel long enough to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. He snapped back into the first position almost as quickly as he lapsed. He spoke again to Evan without taking his eyes off the empty road. "What would you do?"
Evan took a moment. He shifted in his passenger seat, and took a deep breath.
"Well, that's a tough question. On the one hand ...there really is no way of knowing who was killed in the holocaust, you know what I mean? Like, suppose that there was somebody who was even more twisted and sick and fucked up than Hitler, but he was killed in the holocaust? There's no way of knowing what would have happened.
Nate nodded, but did not take his eyes off the road. Evan paused again and gathered his thoughts; he needed to think carefully about what he wanted to say.
"On the other hand, how do I know that I'm not just rationalizing the situation so I don't have to suffer? 60 years a long time. It would be, for all intensive purposes, the rest of my life." Evan paused again. Had Nate cared to look, he could have almost seen the thoughts forming on Evan's face as he spoke.
"I'm not really a very heroic guy. I'm a pretty big coward when you get right down to it. I'd love to say I'd take the suffering, but deep down I know I would take my own well being over a stranger's any day of the week."
Evan stopped. Nate broke the silence between them. There was a slight edge of irritation in his voice. "You're looking way too deep into the question. It's not some personality test; it's just some shit to waste time on during a car ride for people with nothing to think about."
Evan put a weary smile on. "You're probably right". Nate turned on the radio and found a station he liked. As Nate sang along on the radio he kept his eyes on the road. He did not see Evan's smile slowly fade into a contemplative frown. Evan looked out the window of the mini van, lost in thoughts of personal truths and the repetitive slideshow of the side of I-95.
User Reviews
Submitted by forthewin (user info) at 2007-03-08 21:37:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Alright, I read it.
And, I still think it deserves a +2. Good job.
Submitted by VileSin (user info) at 2007-03-06 15:46:50 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
It would be, for all intensive purposes, the rest of my life.
Intents and purposes you fucking inbred, hillbilly cocksucker.
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-03-06 07:51:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Do you want to make turtle doves disappear with me?
Submitted by rorrim (user info) at 2007-03-06 06:18:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I like alternative historylines .
Submitted by LittleMonster (user info) at 2007-03-06 05:40:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I thought this was good
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-03-05 22:36:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by manic_impressive (user info) at 2007-03-05 17:52:31 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by forthewin (user info) at 2007-03-05 17:04:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by DudeThatsBOSH (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:04:15 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by forthewin (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:01:53 (#)
Ranking: 2
I'll read this later, but +2 for all the times I've been on I-95 at 12:45am.
--
so ..like once, then?
_____
Actually, more times than I can remember. I'm often driving late at night to get back to where I live, and that requires being on I-95 most of the time.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:17:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
iT'S nOT fUNNY TO mAKE jOKOES aBOUT tEH lOLLERCAUST mY gRANDPA dIED bECAUSE oF iT - hE fELL oFF A gUIARDTOWER :( :( :( :(
Submitted by maiorano84 (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:10:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked this. Especially the idea of getting gang-raped in the face by Hitler and company.
*fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap fap*
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:06:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked this
Submitted by DudeThatsBOSH (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:05:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
it was funny when i thought it to myself.
Submitted by DudeThatsBOSH (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:04:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by forthewin (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:01:53 (#)
Ranking: 2
I'll read this later, but +2 for all the times I've been on I-95 at 12:45am.
--
so ..like once, then?
Submitted by forthewin (user info) at 2007-03-05 16:01:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I'll read this later, but +2 for all the times I've been on I-95 at 12:45am.
Submitted by DudeThatsBOSH (user info) at 2007-03-05 15:53:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
sweet
Submitted by FatTony (user info) at 2007-03-05 15:43:58 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Then Evan crossed the divider and went into oncomming traffic and killed everyone. They went to hell and seen Hitler and he still got to "fuck with them".
Submitted by tiaprae (user info) at 2007-03-05 15:36:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The conversations on midnight car rides...
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2007-03-05 15:32:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2007-03-05 15:10:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
proof read.
Submitted by LadyJay (user info) at 2007-03-05 15:09:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
nice, great descriptive writing
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2007-03-05 15:08:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
bloody well written. Great imagery.