Hurrying through the car garage, I spotted my car on the bottom level. I unlocked it before throwing my bag over the seat and into the back. I put my key in the ignition and turned it over… nothing. I checked the dash, no lights came on, so I tried again holding the ignition on. It whined loudly. "Come on, not today," I said, smacking my dash with my fist. My car groaned and protested but eventually sputtered to life.

"She may be ugly, but she is reliable when I need her." I hugged the wheel before shutting my door and easing out in reverse. I was hyper-aware of the...