Bad Roads

Do you remember your last road trip? Probably not so much. More often than not, those kinds of journeys are fairly mundane. The truth is, the great majority of trips in cars go off without much of a hitch. Other than stopping for food or gas or a little sight-seeing along the way, nothing of consequence ever happens. In the end, you don't give a journey like that much thought. But a road trip from hell, well, you tend to remember those details and vividly.

Like these five examples in Bad Roads. They are journeys definitely not for the faint of heart.

Each starts out mundane, really, without much turmoil. But each goes terribly wrong. Are you ready? You better buckle up.

Inclement Weather. A man is simply attempting to get back to his Des Moines, Iowa, home from Texas after attending the funeral of an old friend. But the angry elements, and some very angry people, keep getting in the way.

Fort Scott. Four older guys set off for a few days of laughter, beer, and target shooting at one friend's farm near Fort Scott, Kansas. Three younger guys decide to rob a bank in the same town at the same time and, unknowingly, head toward a collision course.

Day Trip. As the Covid days begin to wane, two couples decide an adventure in the car, just to get away from being cooped up, would be the perfect medicine. A decision they make about a side trip on the way to their destination sends them careening into a nightmare.

Flint Hills. A family driving trip to Colorado-including grandparents, parents and five kids-becomes a heart-pounding journey into the Kansas Flint Hills as the two teenage girls in the party are kidnapped.

Calling Card. The dark web is a journey unto itself. Almost anything goes in there. Including murder for hire. But the price? You have to murder someone first.

While each story is different, they all have similar elements: someone trying to reach a destination, someone else trying to get away, still someone else trying to simply have a good time. Some innocent, some not so much.

Five trips on dangerous routes. Hard streets. Bad Roads.

Go ahead. You drive.