The Rodeo: 3

Jacob ran his fingers over his forehead and felt his sweat overflowing from his pores. He needed another cigarette and another drink of water, but was out of one and running low on the other. He should have refilled them both at the last gas station, but the plan skipped his mind.

He looked ahead, seeing the endless road and desert and sky in front of him. Every mile he drove only seemed to get longer and every minute felt like an hour. The scenery never changed and no cars every joined him. It was as if he was the last person on earth, driving to find a paradise he knew didn't exist.

Pushing that thought out of his mind, Jacob turned the radio up. A young girl was singing about her lover, who had left her for another woman and left her heartbroken. Her voice soaked with sorrow and Jacob had to turn it off to avoid thinking.

He drove in silence, kicking any thought or memory that tried to pass in his head away. He had to go through three goddamn states before he reached his sister's with nothing to do but drive with his barely filled tank.

He'd have to refill it when he reached civilization.

Another twenty miles exceeded with him watching the straight road ahead before his truck began to stutter. He pulled over to the side of the road with a sigh. He would have been angry if he didn't have a tank with gasoline in the back of his truck.

He stepped out of the vehicle, the heat feeling worse than when he was inside. He took his flannel shirt off and tossed it on the seats before walking to the back of the truck and pulling out the tank.

The can was empty. Jacob didn't even have to open it, simply feeling its lightness was enough to know.