After watching the road a while longer, the truck doesn't return. Ryoma exhales under his breath, the irritation still there, mixed with fatigue.
He steps away from the window and returns to the bed, lying down with a slow, controlled motion, forcing himself to ignore the unease lingering at the back of his mind. Whatever it was, coincidence or not, he sets it aside.
But sleep doesn't come easily. It takes time before his body finally gives in, before the tension loosens enough for him to drift into something deeper.
And just before midnight, it comes again.
Hooonk! Hooooonk!!!
Ryoma jolts awake, his breath catching as his heart slams hard against his chest.
For a moment, he just sits there in the dark, listening. The sound is already gone, leaving behind a silence that feels heavier than before, pressing in from all sides.
"…What was that?"
He isn't sure if it was a dream, or just his mind playing tricks on him.
