Darkness when I open my eyes. I'm in Spin Doctor's car. Joel's shaking me.

"Mylan!"

"I heard you," I say, fighting back a yawn. "I'm awake now... What time is it?"

I hold up my watch and illuminate the time display. 3:32. I've been asleep for twelve minutes. And I'm still tired. Shit!

Spin Doctor starts up the sedan and turns on the headlights. A few moments later we roll out from the dark building and turn down the alley.

We drive along back streets until Spin Doctor finally decides that it's safe to pull onto the boulevard. The warehouse is a few miles behind us. We come to a stop at a light which just changed red. Vampire starts babbling something about the cops at the rave getting Spin Doctor's license plate number.

Spin Doctor says, "Don't worry about it. That's why there's no plates on this thing."

And somehow Vampire and Lee seem to find comfort in his words. I can only wonder as to what further interpretations of reality they're capable of. Like how are they going to interpret the meaning of the police squad car that just pulled up to the light in the lane next to us. I lock my eyes straight ahead and can only pray that they won't glance to their left.

But somehow they do. Of course it's Lee who sees the police car first.

"Oh shit!" he says.

Hey, that's my line!

His voice shrill, he continues, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! The cops! The cops!"

"Don't look!" Spin Doctor growls, keeping his eyes straight ahead on the stoplight. "Just ignore them. Forget they're there. Don't look. They won't bother us if we don't look at them." And then Spin Doctor does the unexpected. He turns his head to the left and glances at the officer seated in the passenger seat only a few feet away. Out of the corner of my eye I see their gazes connect for a brief moment before Spin Doctor turns away and looks forward again.

That's when Lee and Vampire decide to sneak a peak.

"Don't look at them!" I find myself snarl as a flurry of activity erupts inside the police car. At least Joel listens. But then again I don't think he really knows what's going on anyway. In that case I can say the same for the crank addicts.

Spin Doctor glances again at the officers in the police car. So does Lee. So does Vampire. And so does Spin Doctor once again. Then Lee. Then Vampire. After each peak they freeze in their seats, as if thinking that if they remain motionless they won't be seen. Kind of like "playing possum," I imagine.

Still watching out of the corner of my eye, the officers seem to become more and more alarmed with every peak made at them by each of the crank addicts. I expect any second now for the overhead red and blue lights to flash on. Instead, the officer driving brings a radio device to his mouth and says something into it. All the while staring at Spin Doctor's sedan. It's not hard to guess what's going on.

To Spin Doctor, Lee whispers sharply over the seat, "When the light changes don't let 'em pull behind you. Make 'em get in front of you."

As if on cue, the light changes to green.