The driver heard a child scream in the back bay of the truck. This was not uncommon for him. The screen on the dashboard flashed red. ESTIMATED ARRIVAL: 2 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. The screams bored a hole between his temples. 3 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. He pressed the pedal harder.

Since he got out of prison time passed like the unnumbered beige towns through the windshield and every once in awhile he’d stop in for coffee or gas or just to look around but most years were only vaguely familiar white letters on green highway signs which blended together in the blur of dust behind the whirring wheels as the truck hurtles downhill and faster always faster and it didn’t matter if he pressed the screaming screaming brakes or hit the gas or just braced for impact–

The child’s screams were louder now. The driver gripped the wheel until his knuckles were white. 2 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. Scimitar Corp. was the only major shipping company to contract ex-felons as drivers. Contractors were not employees. They did not receive benefits and could be terminated at will. 2 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. Last year, Scimitar Corp. recorded 24.5 billion in profit. The screams were tangible. The screams were needles through his eyes. Before working for Scimitar the driver had lived in a damp tent under the highway bridge. There had been rats. 1 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. A contractor could not collect commission for late deliveries.

The court had charged him with vehicular manslaughter because he was deemed grossly negligent for the brake failure but when the beady-eyed judge read him the verdict all he heard were the screeching brakes and the rush of blood to his head and his fingers turning white gripping the wheel as the truck charged down the hill towards the yellow bus and the judge’s mouth flapped open and closed like a limp arm in the breeze but all the driver heard were the screams–

The screams were not just a memory this time. They came from the back of the truck. 1 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. His skull was a grenade with the pin pulled. He stopped the truck on the shoulder and flew out of the seat. 

There was only one box in the back. It was as long as a coffin and it was screaming like a child. He was not allowed to touch the cargo but he tore the box open anyway. A man in a black tie rose up from underneath the packing peanuts. He tapped a touchscreen tablet and the screaming ceased immediately.

“This will be noted in your performance review.” The man scribbled notes on the tablet.

“But-”

“Byline 1444-44 of your contract explicitly states that tampering with cargo is a terminable offense.”

“How did you-”

“There is no time for further discussion at this moment.”

The driver followed the man’s eyeline through the window into the cockpit. 4 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. The man in the black tie lowered himself back into the coffin-box, arms resting at his sides.

The driver turned the key in the ignition. 4 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. The cockpit was silent except for the humming engine. The driver gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. 5 MIN BEHIND SCHEDULE. The screams pooled softly in the aching basin of his soul.

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Perry is a math grad student from Maryland. He lives with his girlfriend and two cats, and he loves to read and write.